Xero Personal – I think I love you

Personal finances – there’s an interesting topic for you.

My wonderful melancholic detailed husband has a magical budget spreadsheet that magically shows us earning more than we spend. Problem is, his lovely wife has no visibility of that when she is actually spending. And I’m not saying I’m a reckless spender at all, but my shopping volume is based on the bank account balance on that day, not any budget or forecast. 

I’ve dabbled a bit in YNAB (You Need A Budget) which also has a great iPhone app, but it’s been getting dusty for a while due to lack of attention on my part. I also couldn’t figure out how to marry up hubby’s magical spreadsheet to its structure.

So today I had a look at Xero Personal, knowing that it supported Australia bank feeds. And hey, so far so good. Here’s what I’ve learnt so far:

• Importing my ANZ account & credit card transactions was pretty easy & quick.
• Creating my own spending categories was pretty easy too, except you can’t rename the default categories AND you can only create 20 new custom categories. This was a pain when I want to separate out different kinds of insurance (for example) and required a bit of creative reshuffling of both the default accounts & our own magical spreadsheet. For example, I created a Mortgage category and I’m using the Housing category for repairs, gardening stuff, furniture etc. Not ideal but it will work.
• Categorising transactions was pretty quick too, but I bumped into a few Xero tricks. The imported transactions are grouped by name, which is hopeless when they display as ‘ANZ Internet Banking Funds Transfer’. You can go into the detail of each to see further payee details AND you can rename them to suit. You can then also start typing the first letters of a previously used name or category to pop up the right one, instead of using the category scroll bar.
• Credit card payments (when your credit card is also added as a bank feed) are put in the Transfers category, so they don’t end up duplicating the spend for the actual item, purchase.
• Goals are actually budget goals which can be set per week, per fortnight, or per month in each category. It’s extremely scary to add dollar figures to these then see how much income you actually need each month.

 I know have to add any debts or other credit accounts (eg hire purchase agreements) and start using the thing. Fortunately it also has an iPhone app, plus the bank feed will automatically suck in the new transactions each day & suggest their categories.

I’ve yet to touch the Plans & Reminders, but that’s on the to do list. I’ve also given hubby his own login so he can see everything I can (is that a good thing??).

Being hosted ‘cloud’ software, you don’t need to backup anything on your own computer, but I’m yet to find out how you could actually get your own backup or export of the data if you wanted it. I’m nervously guessing that my data will stay locked inside the software & I’ll lose access to it if I decide to stop paying for it (or end the trial) and I’d also bet that I can only rely on Xero’s own data centre backups. Yes, I’m sure they have an impressive backup & recovery strategy, but they wouldn’t be the first data centre to go belly-up and have backup issues. But that’s just the IT geek in me that likes to have some control in keeping my own data safe.

With a 30 day free trial, this software is definitely worth playing with. 

Logo not appearing on invoice – Unleashed software / Xero

We have a client who uses Unleashed Software for inventory management and invoicing. It integrates with Xero. They called us today to say that their company logo was appearing on some but not all of their computers, which are a mix of Macs & PCs in different locations & countries.

Wary of the old ‘Quicktime & Myob’ trick, that was the first thing we asked them. The second thing we asked gave us the answer though – in the instances where the logo was not showing up, they were using Google Chrome to access the system. Once they launched Internet Explorer instead, the logo appeared fine.

I can’t find anything on their public website that lists support browsers or versions, but I have contacted their twitter account to ask them about this. The moral of the story is ‘If in doubt, try IE!”

 

Are we really that stupid?

Warning, this post may turn into a rant. This topic has been on my heart since before Queensland’s recent rain event (Jan 2013) and it just won’t leave my thoughts. Now that my attention is not so urgently taken with filling needs, it’s time to let the topic loose.

Are we really that stupid?

Once upon a time, there were maybe a handful of ways to die: sickness, injury (especially in the workplace, if you think industrial era) and childbirth. But society went and got all advanced and created technology and the Internet and cured illnesses and improved safety and childbirth. And we all lived long lives happily ever after.

Ah, no, not quite.

While sure we did those things, we also invented news ways to kill ourselves. We created processed foods full of additives that were cheap to make and quick to prepare at home. We invented cars and planes. We even invented the mobile phone AND THEN put the Internet on it. Weren’t we smart?

Ah, no, not quite. It seems in all our inventiveness, we lost one thing – our self-preservation instinct. Though it’s true we still have a biological fight or flight response and some good reflexes, our basic need to stay alive has been swept away by how wonderful our modern society is.

I’m not even talking about ‘addictions’ that have been with us for some time like cigarettes and alcohol. We can now literally eat ourselves to death or drink ourselves to death with soft drink. We become blaise behind the wheel of this amazing moving piece of machinery. We decide that sending a text message is more important that our basic instinct to remove ourselves from danger and protect our body to keep it alive.

Are we really that stupid? Or are we just lazy? Or maybe we’ve become so comfortable with our modern lifestyles that the edges have been blurred and we’ve lost that sense of danger? Fear in a dangerous situation is a self-preservation instinct. Getting behind the wheel for the millionth time when you’ve been driving for years does not feel dangerous, it feels like auto pilot. Ditto with eating and drinking whatever feels nice. Where’s the sense of danger?

So, as a society, how do we address that? How do we steer our lives back on track to minimise the current modern dangers? Simple – we tax them or we legislate against them. No driving faster than the posted speed limit. No touching your mobile phone when you are driving. Let’s impose a ‘fat tax’ on all soft drink & fast food. Oh and put cigarettes in plain packaging. Because we really are that stupid.

The message is clear – society must be banned from what will kill it, or forced to pay a premium for the pleasure. *headdesk*

It was actually a workplace health and safety TV advertisement that got the message right. It showed the reason why you want to be safe in your workplace – because you want to come back home again to your family.

So why isn’t that kind of message enough? Speed kills. One punch can kill. It’s just not sinking in. We need some kind of magical marketing campaign that says ‘just stop doing stuff that is bad for you’. Stop doing stuff that puts your life at risk, especially if it doesn’t seem dangerous. Find your own self-preservation instinct and work at living a long, happy, healthy life.

Is that the problem? Is staying healthy and safe just too much hard work, especially in a society that’s just so very busy. Man, our priorities are screwed up.

I’ll hop off my soapbox now and admit that today I didn’t have my 5+ serves of fruit and vegetables, nor do I exercise the recommended times per week and occasionally we have a lasagne out of a box. But seriously, some of the things that are legislated and taxed in our society make me wonder just how stupid we are. We like to think we have free will.

This isn’t an ‘anti-establishment’ rant either. I’m quite happy that we have laws that say we all have to drive on the same side of the road and that you face dire consequences if you drive after drinking too much. I like laws that help other people to be safe around me. But sometimes I wish people would just take some responsibility for their choices.

Until then, we’ll continue to introduce law after tax after law after law. And who knows, maybe in the future we’ll invent a few more new ways to kill ourselves.

-SCuffy

P.S. I’m now waiting for an onslaught of comments about people with real addictions and that it’s just not that easy to give up. Don’t start in the first place – or get help.

The stages of Baked Relief: Team Formation

As we reflected on the 2 year anniversary of the 2011 QLD Floods, little did we know that another severe weather event was literally around the corner. Thanks to ex-tropical cyclone Oswald, our season of drought was about to be spectacularly broken, in more ways than one. 

400mm+ of rain fell and fell and fell. Rivers burst their banks and created new pathways as gravity pulled that water volume downwards to sea level. Suburban and urban drain systems couldn’t keep up with such rapid and consistent water inflows. Queensland flooded again. 

To some it may not have seen as dramatic at the 2011 floods, when we watched the power slowly going out in the Brisbane CBD. Others in low lying Brisbane areas walked away from this one with no flooding at all. But for many people, the nightmare was theirs this time. Bundaberg, Gladstone, Laidley – named in the media … Mudubbera, Baffle Creek, Agnes Waters – sodden and not so well publicised …. Mt Tambourine, Mt Nebo, MtGlorious … isolated, powerless and tree-damaged … not to mention many families across the state throwing spoiled food out of fridges & freezers due to the extensive damage to the power networks.

As well as helping to manage 80 calls for assistance in our own SES area, this time I had the privilege of being involved in more of the admin side of Baked Relief. Like any collection of people, it had some challenges, but overall it ran smoothly and followed some fairly normal common traits of team formation.  If you don’t know, Baked Relief was founded on Twitter by Danielle Crismani as a way to spread the word about where volunteers & emergency services were working, so anyone could provide them with drinks, meals or snacks (particularly home baking)! As news of this rain event came in, Danielle realised that Baked Relief would be needed again, so she knocked the dust of a Facebook page. This time, more action was centred around Facebook than Twitter, but the comparison of the two mediums is another story for another day. Essentially, Baked Relief gathers information where it can and gets the word out, so that people can contribute & donate directly where it’s needed. The aim is to mobilise helpers in local areas, without the need for storage or transportation, to put a smile on the faces of emergency services, Energex, Mud Army – anyone involved in the disaster response who would appreciate stopping for two minutes for a cupcake. 

In the 1960′s, a professor named Bruce Tuckman introduced a theory about the stages that teams go through: Forming, Storming, Norming & Performing. Baked Relief exhibited all of these traits, pretty much in sequence. 

Forming: This is the information gathering stage. Contacts are made. Needs are established. Individuals connect and also gather information and impressions about each other. This is a low-conflict stage, where people are eager to get started and are trying to establish their own sense of place in the team. People new to Baked Relief ask how it all works. Admins weed through information sources and start posting requests. People start baking and even delivering.

Storming: The team then moves into the stage where different ideas are offered up for consideration. ‘Why don’t we do this? Why don’t we go here?’ People become brave enough to add their ideas and perspectives. During this stage, the admins need to keep focused on what the Baked Relief concept is and what it isn’t, while acknowledging that other ideas may be valid. This is usually handled by redirecting people to other places to champion their ideas (eg Givit and Connected). For example, while there is no denying that flood-stricken home owners need new furniture and clean sheets, they first need a cleaned or repaired home and Baked Relief does not have the means to accept those kinds of donations. Other organisations do and do this well, so by agreeing that an idea is worthwhile but just not able to be covered by Baked Relief, the suggester feels validated and can contact someone who may be able to move their idea forward. Unfortunately this is also the stage where disappointment and criticism can set in (of other team members, recipients, government agencies etc), especially when it coincides with a shift in the areas of need.  Tolerance and patience and good admins see the team move through this phase.

Norming: By now, all active team members are focused on the same goal. People watch out for areas of need and drop off points and get into a rhythm. They’ve found their spot and are comfortable with their roles. They may even be getting positive feedback from recipients.

Performing: Motivated and knowledgeable, the team members start helping each other out. They add to the information coming into the Baked Relief page. They actively seek out areas of need or report areas where help is no longer needed. When someone posts a question, they reply without waiting for an official admin to answer. They organise collections & deliveries between themselves. 

These stages don’t stop conflict from happening throughout the event, however most of the behaviour does follow this pattern. Tuckman also added Adjourning or the breakup of the team.  We’re seeing this on facebook primarily as a drop in page likes as people return to their daily routines & may no longer be in a position to help, or feel that they have done all they are capable of.  

Some people may feel threatened about ‘being put in a box’ and labelled with a social theory, but once you’ve learnt about Tuckman’s theory, you tend to watch to see if it plays out in circumstances across your life and it often does. The good news is that regardless of its stages, Baked Relief have given people an opportunity to give, especially people unable to spend days shovelling mud. It’s just one small piece in the disaster response puzzle, but it’s a very rewarding one and I’m proud to be associated with it.

-SCuff

 

When Breastfeeding becomes your PR disaster

OK, this one is a ‘mini-post’ to ‘get the subject off my chest’ – yes, pardon the pun.

On the news yesterday we heard of a mother who was approached by a staff member at a council-run public swimming pool, because another swimmer was uncomfortable with this lady breastfeeding her baby at the poolside. The mother was embarrassed & humiliated and chose to leave the pool. To her defence, she stated that she was supervising her other children who were still in the pool. It’a also against the law to discriminate against breastfeeding mothers in public places.

I don’t like confrontation myself, and I would have done exactly the same thing – left. She had a right to feel upset and now it’s hit the national news and turned into a breastfeeding in public debate.

To me, it feels a little like a time warp that we’re even having this conversation. Again. But I’m not going to tackle that side of the story. I’m going to talk about the staff.

The council-run pool had a couple of opportunities here. The first was training their staff before the event. Teaching them what they should and shouldn’t do, what the law is, how to handle customer complaints. We don’t know if that was done or not. The second was the staff member involved. Did they talk to a supervisor before approaching the mother, to check it was ok or not? We don’t know. It’s not even reported that the staff member asked the woman to leave or to cover it. She may have just said that someone else had complained. That would make me uncomfortable enough to leave, even though I had a legal right to stay.

In hindsight, it’s easy to see what should have been done. The staff member should have said to the compaining person ‘I’m sorry you’re uncomfortable but she has a legal right to feed her baby here” and left it at that. Perhaps the staff member was a peace-maker who thought any confrontation would be calmed by quietly mentioning it to the mother? We don’t know.

What we do know is the stunning amount of silence coming from any pool representative. No explanation, no public apology, no ‘we were wrong in how we approached this, breastfeeding mothers are welcome here’. Media silence. This is how you turn a complaint into a PR disaster.

Every complaint gives an organisation an opportunity to turn things around, but they can’t ignore it, especially when the media is involved. And if they sit on it for too long before speaking up, the public goes ‘oh well, now you’re just trying to save face because you’ve been bad-mouthed all over the news’.

The caveat on this is that I’m not a PR expert. But as someone passionate about business, my thoughts went into problem-solving mode. What went wrong? What should have been done then and straight after the incident?

There’s a Seth Godin-like lesson in this. Businesses, please talk to your staff this week about when you legally can ask someone to leave and about how they should handle a customer complaint.

And mums, keep feeding your bubs when they are hungry.

-SCuff

RIP the Australian sense of humour, murdered by Twitter.

OK, lets cut right to the chase on this one. Does anyone on twitter still have a sense of humour? Have we become so politically correct that our comedians will suddenly find themselves searching for other employment? Do we know the difference between fun and trolling, or is ‘funny’ now attacked if it remotely offends anyone?

Yup, I’ve pulled out the big guns on this one and I’m waiting to be shot down.

Here’s a wrap-up of some recent twitter action, with some ‘not so expert’ commentary by yours truly:

@EmRusciano tweeted “Will the world judge me harshly if I round house a kid to the head who just spilled my coffee? I am at jnr Aths. I’ve been up since 7am.”  to which someone told her off for even suggesting she abuse a child (that tweet has since been deleted). Em replied she wasn’t even being remotely serious, as if she’d ever really hit a kid because of a coffee spill.  - So, here the debate starts? Is it ok to turn child abuse into a comedy routine? Or do people just need to lighten up? I can understand Em’s desperation at losing her caffeine lifeline and don’t believe for a second it would have come to actual blows, but does the offended person have a point?

Next case: #fakemamamia This hashtag has sent twitter into a spin as people suggest fake article headlines for the mummy audience. Search and you’ll find such gems as “How to host a dinner party on the moon. What to wear and who to invite. We’ll make sure you’re not left in the dark.” – Is this a case of a gang of trolls attacking Mia Freedman or her internet empire? Is she sobbing in a corner somewhere? Or have Australians taking something from popular culture and taken the Mickey out of it (as they are prone to do). Does an Australian ‘she’ll be right’ attitude absolve people who post hurtful comments? Is this a case of tall poppy syndrome? Or were some of the suggestions genuinely funny?

And this post would not be complete without #ActivatedAlmonds, the tag that went wild after celeb chef Pete Evans divulged his day on a plate. Pete was not amused at the twitter world’s reaction which he understandably could have taken personally. A lot of people had a giggle at the concept of activating their almonds (or activating anything) and I learnt something that day. Yes, I was aware of chia seeds & quinoa, but activating my almonds? I actually think people were having more fun with the concept than they were personally attacking Pete.

But that’s the thing with twitter. There is no subtlety, no nuances, no body language or tone of voice. Would any of those soften the blow on a nasty comment? Absolutely not. But I think that the ‘ribbing’ that Australians do all the time just does not translate well to 140 characters. And all it takes is for one person to take offence and twitter is a bad world full of trolls. Yes there is some seriously nasty bullying stuff said on twitter, don’t get me wrong. But sometimes I think we do need to lighten up a little.

I’m not suggesting for a moment that online bullying or attacking should be laughed off. That’s a totally serious matter, just before you think I’m trying to tell everyone to just shrug off some of the vile messages directed at them.

But to end on a positive note, today I had a great, adult discussion with @DaltonCatering about fast food advertising & parenting choices. We had slightly different views on the topic and actually agreed on some stuff too, but we managed a civil discussion with limited words. This quick, passionate, respectful debate would never have happened if I hadn’t followed him on twitter and I’m glad to report it is possible to chat and keep your manners.

So, what do you think Australia? Am I being too light-hearted about a serious matter or do we need to laugh a little more?

-SCuffy

Hands up if you need a Smartphone Pledge!

Over the last few days, a few articles have come my way (including one I wrote myself) about smartphone addiction and the impact of our ‘always connected’ society. My favourite so far has been this fromm Joe Kraus at Google Ventures: http://joekraus.com/were-creating-a-culture-of-distraction

Hi, my name is Sonia and I’m addicted to my smartphone. Except it’s not my phone itself per se, it’s that feeling of knowing what is going on right now and what my internet friends are talking about. I’ve reverted to my teenage self and I don’t want to miss out, on anything, even for an hour.

The problem is that I am missing out. I’m missing out on the present. And yes, as new agey as it sounds, with the background of all of those talks that tell us to ‘truly be in the moment’, I’m missing out on what is going on in front of me. That’s kind of important when you have a family.

Don’t get me wrong – I still love to reach for my phone to look up the opening hours of a store or find a recipe or check if a TV program is on tonight. But I don’t need to constantly check it to see who’s posted what on Facebook and Twitter.

So I think someone needs to start up a website with a Smartphone Pledge. You could then sign this ‘contract’ and commit to it for a certain period of time (start with one day if you are seriously addicted, or one week, one month, or even until further notice?).

I’ll start with a few Pledge condition ideas:

- I pledge to not check my Smartphone before I’ve had a shower and eaten breakfast.

- I pledge to not have my Smartphone within reach during mealtimes.

- I pledge to go to the bathroom without my Smartphone.

- I pledge to not have my Smartphone when I am a passenger in a vehicle.

Is this all a bit much? Are we going to far here, or not far enough?

Today I discovered that my parents do not have email on their iPhone. It’s distracting. If somebody wants them urgently, they’ll call them or SMS. They don’t feel it’s necessary to check out what their friends are doing today or to share their day online. I don’t think that our teenagers or most Gen Xers even could cope with that.

We are the generations that have embraced technology. I know and share with a great bunch of people online that I would never have met in real life and I feel richer for it. But now I have another thing to add to my juggling act of balancing my life, to ensure I’m truly present for my kids and to show them have to squeeze the joy out of the present moment. If I don’t, they’ll grow up glued to their phones too. So you see, there is a lot at stake here.

Pass me that pledge to sign, please.

-SCuffy

P.S. If it’s the ‘meal out with friends’ that sees all of the smartphones in hand, check out the Phone Stacking game http://www.news.com.au/technology/smartphones/phone-stacking-game-to-get-friends-off-mobiles-at-meal-time/story-fn6vihic-1226247534506

My Titanic story, as we remember them 100 years ago

It’s hard to escape Titanic news at the moment, as we mark 100 years since the ship sank. I refrained from calling her unsinkable, as apparently the White Star Line never called her that, but it was stated in a shipbuilding publication that her design made her ‘practically unsinkable’.  I confess to following @TitanicRealTime as the story holds a special place in my heart and it does fascinate me.

On Friday the 13th February 1998, my boyfriend took me to a late night screening of the James Cameron film. It finished after midnight, on Valentine’s Day. He then took me for a drive up to the hill in Wellington that overlooks the city, in a re-enactment of the evening we met (that’s another story). I had become rather soppy after the film, so he mentioned he didn’t have any tissues but would this do .. and pulled out an engagement ring.  Since then, Titanic has been our thing. 

I don’t know why so many people are fascinated by this event, but I’ve seen a few lately that couldn’t care less and are a bit sick of the hype.  To each their own. The story always brings me back to my wedding proposal though, thanks to James Cameron. Though I’ve never been into history, the stories of this ship and it’s people have captured my heart. So much so that when we saw a full page framed print of the New York Times front page re the sinking, we transported it from our Melbourne holiday back to Wellington, then to Brisbane where it now sits above our dining room table (see here for the front page http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/browser/1912/04/16/P1)

If you’re interested in finding out more about the ship’s design, build and sinking, I can highly recommend the book on my shelf ‘Titanic & her sisters Olympic & Brittanic’ http://www.amazon.com/Titanic-Her-Sisters-Olympic-Britannic/dp/1902616103

We were married on Saturday April 17 1999, two days after Titanic’s sinking anniversary (and exactly 4yrs after we met). And for our 13th wedding anniversary this year, James Cameron has kindly provided his Titanic movie in 3D at the cinemas, so that’s our night sorted (well, part of it anyway).

Titanic is no more and no less than any other tragedy, but it certainly seems to have been romanticised, even before James Cameron turned his hand to it.  If you are interested in finding out the truth behind some of her stories, check out these websites:

http://www.titanic-titanic.com/titanic_myths.shtml

http://www.titanic1.org/articles/titanicmyths.asp

-SCuffy 

 

 

 

 

Anatomy of a fake Facebook email

Today one of my email accounts received a Facebook notification, only I knew straight away that it was a fake.  This post shows you what the email looked like and the warning signs that this wasn’t a valid notification.  More likely, it was an attempt to steal my facebook details & hack into my account, after I had clicked on the links & willingly entered in my real facebook username and password for them.

Subject: Troy Stein commented on your status (#1 don’t know any Troy Stein)

To see the comment thread, follow the link below:
http://calabriarelations.it/message-3405/profile.php&id=13894&v=feed&story_fbid=randomnumber

Thanks,
The Facebook Team (#2 Calabriarelations are nothing to do with Facebook, in fact if you Google them, they look like a tour company)

This message was intended for helpme@ctaspley.com.au. (#3 helpme@ctaspley.com.au is a contact email address listed on our website and has never been registered with Facebook)

Want to control which emails you receive from Facebook? Go to:
http://calabriarelations.it/message-25937/editaccount.php?notifications&md=uXDdwYsVSTOxqOkUmWJ&mid=randomnumber
Facebook’s offices are located at 156 University Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94301. (#4 Once again, calabriarelations appears!)

I’m not going to risk my laptop by even trying to click on those links to see where they’d take me, I’m just deleting that email now I’ve captured the details for you.

If you are ever slightly suspicious of a facebook notification email, log in to facebook’s website or app yourself and check your notifications inside your account – don’t click on any links inside emails!

-SCuffy

Why you have every right to question Kony 2012 & Invisible Children

Have I made you angry with the title of my blog? Are you frustrated at the critics of a movement that just wants to save the kids? Are you trying to search through media reports to confirm what the truth is and what it isn’t? That’s my point.

48hrs ago I had no idea who Joseph Kony was.  I sat and watched as Kony 2012 swept social media then my television.  My FB & Twitter feeds were swamped with links to the video.  And then the critics were publicised too. A university professor and a student weighed in on the debate. The most recent one I’ve seen is from someone who has returned from Uganda.

I’m going to leave my thoughts on the actual event until the end of this post, because I actually want to focus on the human behaviour surrounding it. Many people have been quick to re-post, donate and tell all of their friends. And that’s fine, There is no judgment here. Get passionate and go for it.  But there are also people saying ‘wait, let’s investigate’.  Apparently that’s not so fine.  In some cases, people who haven’t jumped on the bandwagon have been labelled as heartless, because it’s only a video.

I loved one example where someone said ‘don’t believe everything you read on the internet’, which meant don’t believe the critics.  I wanted to yell ‘.. but if you see it in a video on the net it must be forwarded immediately, without question’.

My point is – people have a right to dig deeper before they add their voice of support to something. Anything. Kids or cancer research or lost animals. Anything. I like when people take time to dig a little deeper before deciding one way or another.  What’s wrong with that?  It doesn’t necessarily mean they will jump on the anti-Invisible Children bandwagon. It just means they want to find out more first.

There’s one particular lady who I greatly admire, who’s support of this movement comes from a personal contact into the situation.  Her support is based on something more than forwarding a video. She is frustrated by the critics when she’s heard from someone who’s seen the atrocities.  I respect her and her opinion greatly.  There are others in my twitter feed who think raising awareness by promoting a video is a good thing that can change the world. Again, I love them to bits. I love their enthusiasm and passion.  Remember, no judgment here.

Personally, I hope we’re moving into a phase in our society where technology can help instigate change.  I think we saw that with the people rising up in Egypt etc, using twitter to organise protect gatherings that made a difference.  I hope this doesn’t turn into an OccupyWallStreet, where last time I checked, Wall St still carried on much the same as it always had.  Oh boy did that paragraph sound cynical, sorry.  If the awareness and pressure of the masses forces governments to act, that’s one amazing feat for this generation.  But I do have to wonder whether my own raised awareness of Osama Bin Laden helped at all in the quest for his capture. Or maybe it did.

I’m one of those people who didn’t forward the video. It’s in my character to question things. I’m the one who always researches emails or Facebook competitions and warns my friends of spam and scams.  No, I’m not saying this is a scam, I’m saying I wanted to take the time to research it. I’m not giving you a yes or no answer here on this issue. I want you to make up your own mind.  I have seen the impact of someone just forwarding an email (one of those lovey cutesy powerpoint slideshows) to all 3,500 people in an organisation and crashing servers. No, I do not think forwarding the Kony video will break the Internet.

I will say that my friend and I are also in complete agreement about how charitable funds are spent. The cold hard truth is that it takes money to make change, so to speak. A charitable organisation has costs. You can’t move people or distribute goods or build infrastructure for free. Just getting people to donate can cost you money.  So the ‘only 30% – must be a scam’ argument doesn’t wash with me. It didn’t wash with me either when I saw it as an argument against some amazing child sponsorship organisations that were making such a huge difference on the ground in affected countries. 

The truth is out there, somewhere. Let’s hope it’s in the hands of some guys who are trying to ensure that the bad guys get caught.

-SCuffy

P.S. I’m not even going to tackle if it’s the job of the US government to run in and save the world’s problems, or whether this cause is more deserving than say world hunger [note:everything bad is important-we just have limited resources & varying different viewpoints on priorities].