Read What You Write Before Sending It

The person who sent this email deserves a dunce cap.

“My Boss Is An Idiot” is the title of a blog post I wrote more than a year ago. It stated that people must understand that every email created on company computers is company property and the company can take action if any message is offensive to it.

I just received an email that is a prime example of the sequel: “Read What You Write Before Sending It.” This is a prudent process all firms should practice.

Normally my policy is to not mention names in any derogatory sense. I'm not going to stoop to that level yet, though this email cries out for an exception.

At 2:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, a representative of an organization sent out an email under the signature of its executive director. The email went to all job applicants who failed to make the interview round. The message content is very bland and worthy of instant deletion.

When you receive similar messages, delete them and move on … normally. But not here.

Here’s where learning comes into play and the mistake. This is ironic because the group is an academic one.

The fact that the same message went to more than one person is normal, given the message’s boilerplate content. What is abnormal is that all the messages—and the names of every applicant—were included in one message that was sent to every applicant. The result: every unsuccessful applicant, including me, now knows who else applied for the same position.

Am I offended? Hell yes. Will I ever apply for another position with this organization? No. Did I send the writer (not the administrator) a note saying that? Yes.

There was also a follow-up message containing only an ecard followed by a third message apologizing for the mistake.

Too late. Once a word is said or a deed done, it cannot be unsaid or undone.

No business wants one supplier to know that a named competitor is getting a contract. No firm can afford to have one client get a sensitive document sent to someone else. All of these mistakes can be avoided by having someone other than the writer read every document before it is distributed.

The lesson everyone can learn from this experience is simply: always have someone else look at your documents before sending them out. Your documents may be perfect or they may have a minor flaw,, such as the extra comma here. Or they may have a major mistake that reflects badly on both the sender and the organization. Ladies and gentlemen, Exhibit A: the A---A.

Simple Tips Will Improve Your Photos

Shot with an iPhone, this photo tells a story.

Do your photographs suck, as per  http://bit.ly/wZv5iO? Some of mine do, but many others do not.

So do you keep your photos from not being bad, horrible or even worse, “what a load of (insert expletive here)?”

Start by getting an idea of what you want to shoot and why before you go. Do you have the right equipment? When is the best time to arrive so I get the type of light I want? What is the weather forecast for that day?

Doing some research means you will arrive at the coast in time to set up your sunset photo so you can find the perfect perch before the sun goes down … instead of after it’s started.

Research is one critical step to help get good photos, but it is secondary to the single most important one: composition.

The best lighting is often what is available at the scene, if you like natural light and color. Some photographers prefer to bring reflectors and multiple flash units. However, many people lack that equipment.

These same restrictions apply to precise exposure control and lens selection: you have what you have. Phone cameras and “point and shoots” give you little, if any, control over the exposure and lens coverage.

A photo taken in 1974 with a snapshot  35mm camera.

Everyone, though, has the ability to control the angle they shoot from and when to depress the shutter.

The best composition comes from taking a moment to walk around the scene and look through your camera’s viewfinder. What do you see? What angle captures what you see best?

Is there a distracting car, boat or plane in the frame, one that will leave if you wait a little bit? What about a tree or building you see from one side but not another?

Even though many cameras are fully automatic in terms of exposure control, you can still improve your people photos with these simple tips.

·  If your subject is wearing a hat, have them remove it or tip it back so their face is lit, and not in deep shadow.

·  If your subject is wearing sunglasses, ask them to take them off.

This shot captured another car in a hubcap reflection.

·  Also, don’t have your subject look straight into a bright light like the sun. Instead, have the sun at one shoulder. This keeps your subject from being blinded and giving a pained expression while still being better than having a strong light behind them.

A final suggestion is very simple: shoot a lot of photos, then go through them and delete the ones you don’t like. Only share the very photos—the top 5, 6 or 10—from your trip. This keeps interest up and boredom down. You can always share more photos if someone asks.

The author is a former newspaper reporter, editor and photographer plus a past member of the National Press Photographers Association.