Wasting Away in PRitaville

My mind works in funny ways sometimes and one thing can lead to another. I was and still am completely disgusted with how the powers that be took Matt’s “On The Edge” blog and basically killed it. It should have been left exactly as is with cross links to the official site. It was probably one of the leading sources of reads to the Petri Dish culture site and they have no viable replacement for this. Sorry guys, it is not the same when the pseudopods  of corporate sterility pull it in.

Then I have this guy from Faro show up who does not know anything about SE. Now I kid you not this is how it went with him. I asked him about direct editing and he was not sure what that was. He is an SW CAD user only. We continue to speak and when he mentions Space Claim that’s when I can finally make a bit of headway with him by saying SE has direct editing  like Space Claim does  but actually better. He knew about Space Claim. Now you PR types don’t have to put up with the things I do. You hide in your little offices and talk to each other. I have to stand here and suffer under things like this Faro guy looking at me like I am a little strange. Just like the Mastercam and Surfcam VAR’s I speak to I am reduced to saying “Oh yes, SE has direct editing just like Space Claim does”. Last time I checked Space Claim was a little bitty company compared to SE and just how is it that they are known with these dealers and people and SE is not? Hint for those of you in Rio Lindo, no worthwhile cohesive aggressive marketing or PR plans or execution might be the reason hmmmm?

Let me put this in perspective for you. We also talked about workstations. I mentioned that even though Dell was all I ever see for workstations I remember reading stuff about what a big percentage of the market HP had in this area. He and I both agreed that all we ever see is Dell and could not figure out how these claims could be substantiated based upon our personal observations. So here I am trying to convince this guy that there are many hundreds of SE users in TN  and that SE has the best direct editing and is better than SW or Space Claim. I can see in his face and comments he is thinking another HP.  And based upon his personal experience why shouldn’t he?  This is also what I get from the Surfcam and Mastercam officials I speak to because some companies make a point of promoting their well planned and executed  messages to markets they actually have plans to and then do  target. So now Space Claim is being pushed by Faro, Mastercam and Surfcam dealers in my area but not “SE who?”.

I believe there is an entrenched almost government like bureaucracy with SE that is the legacy of years gone by that has as of yet not been fixed. I figure these people band together to protect the way it has been over they way it should be.  Void of creativity they plod on  spending time with safe things they have done year after year and not one of them ever stops to think of the idea that doing things the same way does not bring about growth. It is a damning indictment of these individuals who are stifling the growth of SE to protect their paychecks. That they have so little vision for the future that they would be willing to sacrifice the future of the company to remain on familiar and comfortable ground. Technically brilliant the guys in Huntsville who code SE  must wonder what is in the water over in PR and Marketing. I hope they never step over there to drink any of this.

I believe that if this problem is not fixed the fate of SE to be also ran will be sealed because these people will prevent SE from ever knocking SW off their throne if things are not changed. Again I say that expecting different results from  the same tired failed methods and people is not the paradigm a hungry for success company would employ. If I was in charge when these sorry Petri Dish guys come in offering the same old tired excuses for why they can’t do things right or won’t do things right and not providing good results it would result in severe discomfort. These people forget that their sole reason to be employed is to deliver results and they are supposed to FIX the problems stopping dynamic growth not offer reasons why this can’t be done. I don’t care what the problems are. You guys have had how many years now to figure this out and plan for growth and you can’t do this?  I don’t get it. Rather than being excited about being with a company that is experiencing  tremendous growth these clowns want to stay where they have been turf protecting themselves and their paychecks and relegate SE in the mean time to also ran status.

So as I stewed over this for the next few days thinking about how I personally had over three lost income and unpaid weeks of my time in hurry up last-minute beta training, testing and parts cutting for SEU13 and time spent blogging to promote it all plus money out-of-pocket to attend because I care and want things to work out right inspiration strikes. Don’t know how wasting time morphed into wasting away in Margaritaville but then inspiration needs no logical explanation does it.  So for the marketing and PR sides of Siemens/SE a theme song.

Hats off  to the PR and marketing guys at Solid Works who prove it can be done and dedicated to those with SE who prove how it can’t be done.
Wasting Away in PRitaville

Been here for five years
Watching the things here
It is the best soft ware never seen
Rarely been heard of
Nary a sight of
Some things don’t change sad as that seems

Refrain
Wasting away again in PRitaville
Searching hard for something to find
Some people claim that it’s still the same
But I know, it’s not PR’s fault

I don’t know the reason
I searched for all season
Not much to show but this internet bill
But it’s a real beauty
A big monthly cutie
Why I still search it I haven’t a clue

Refrain

I blew out my Laptop
Cleaned out my desktop
plugged the cable back in at home
but no website contenders
the drought never ends here
It’s just blind hope that keeps me around

Final refrain
Wasting away again in PRitaville
Searching hard for something to find
Some people claim that it’s still the same
But I know it’s not PR’s fault
Yes some people claim that it’s still the same
And I know it’s not PR’s fault

UPDATE

OK folks I go to the    http://community.plm.automation.siemens.com/t5/Solid-Edge-Community-Blog/SEU13-Presentations-Available-for-Download/ba-p/2351    web site today and we have a perfect case in point. I want you to go there. The first half of this long scroll down page is one third content and the rest is just stuff. Who really cares about company officials taking up one half of one third of the whole page and being placed at the top right section of this page? Top right is one of the two most important placement areas when you wish to convey a message and these marketing PR whizbangs fill it with company rosters. 😦 😦 😦 Right where we should have relevant community and user information or links or articles or SOMETHING of value we have instead space just filled to be filled. Scroll down and tell me how much more of this is the same. Can you believe this is what PR and Marketing think is an attractive selling and information tool for SE? It is a perfect example of crank a mindless cookie cutter fill in the blanks page out like we always have and get a paycheck stuff. They do these things and think they are of worth in PRitaville.