Blackberry Blog

So, being part of the Blackberry nation - I do completely understand how it changes behaviour. When you have the capability to take pictures, send emails, chat, blog, tweet, facebook stalk, surf and play games all at the tip of your finger tips - it is very easy to fall into a habit of using it all the time no matter what is going on around you.

My personal tool of social offense - Blackberry Storm

However, the week I spent in Toronto at one of the most massive Expos I have ever laid eyes on, I witnessed first hand that there downfalls to that Blackberry oblivion - where we feel as though it is perfectly acceptable to be standing with your head down and your fingers flying a mile a minute while surrounded by thousands of ACTUAL people - most of which ACTUALLY want to talk to you about what you are ACTUALLY standing next to.

Maybe it is the sales person in me - or maybe it is the ex-manager in me - but.....if I were a business owner who had paid what it took to get into this one particular expo, and the salary of the person in it - I would be SUPER peeved to have them standing on my sqaure of carpet with their head down in Blackberry land.

Time and time again at this event I passed booth after booth with people in it who were not willing to pay attention to anything that is going on around them. Business opportunities were passing them by over and over again and patrons walked in and around their products, waited a second or two, and then when they felt ignored and no engagement of any sort had happened - they picked up a business card and a free pen and walked away. Time and time again people gave the impression that you were intruding upon their busy lives with your questions.

Now, Blackberry's are not all bad - after all their entire marketing personality is that they are supposed to the ultimate tool for the busy business person. Making available multiple email accounts, and contact book that provides extra lines for position and company in your files, Microsoft office, and many tools geared towards business to start and countless apps for news, stocks, banking, accounting, and keeping sales contacts organized. Which makes it kinda of ironic to see it being the tool of detriment to some of these businesses when in the hands of someone with a less than stellar work ethic.

It is not ENTIRELY the works fault, the progress of society is to make allowance for Blackberry Behavior. We walk around those walking into our paths while reading or writing in motion, we turn our heads from loud conversations at the table next to us in a nice restaurant, we share our information so that we can participate in the rapid fire information and gaming that goes on all around us that used to be restricted to our homes.

Times - they are a changing - it is just hard to figure out sometimes if it is for better or worse.