The Mailman, He Cometh

Even the camera failed to keep up with my swift packing!

Actually, that title is a big, fat lie.  The mailman was nowhere to be seen.  I suspect he may have been hiding.  As a result, I had the opportunity -- nay, the honor -- of loading over 2,500 Lake Shelbyville Visitor Guides for bulk mailing.

I suppose the moral of the story would be "don't smile and agree to do something without actually understanding what the task entails."  With that said, I was glad to help.  It wasn't really all that horrible.

It was, however, very surprising.  I wasn't aware of the sheer amount of mailing that needed to be done.  And anyone who has ever needed to move any great distance knows one of the worst things to pack: books.  A magazine is just a really thin, glossy book, and let's be honest, a book is just thinly-sliced bits of tree.  Trees are heavy ... writing interns are wimpy.

Still, there's something to be said about this very practical, mundane task.  Thus far, most of the work I've done has been electronic. It's involved communication, social networking, or writing.  It's been communication, contacts, and e-mail.  This was a nice wake-up call, to be honest.  Sure, the point of the internship is to help develop professional communication skills, but it's easy to forget that the physical, mundane aspect of mailing is still just as important as its electronic component.  Tweeting, Facebooking, and e-mailing is well and good, but it doesn't help much when you have a couple thousand mini-tree slices to send all over the place.  And yes, while many publishers are opting for wholly electronic publication, there are still plenty of people (myself included) who prefer something to hold.  Until we develop molecular teleportation, that means bulk mailing.

I didn't actually fall asleep, but it was a fun photo to take

There's always going to be something surprising in any given job.  If the purpose of an internship is to prepare one for the professional world, I think it's equally important to learn to prepare for the unexpected.  Well, that and to develop a spontaneous case of the flu when mailing day rolls around.

The Best Laid Plans

In 1949, after dealing with faulty equipment at the Wright Field Aircraft Lab, a frustrated Captain Edward Murphy exclaimed of the main technician, "If there is any way to do it wrong, he will."  Though it was far from the first time this sentiment had been expressed, he was supposedly the man who gave this phenomenon its namesake: Murphy's Law.  If it can go wrong, it will.

As easy as it is to use Murphy as a pedestal for pessimism, I prefer to embrace it as an opportunity to adapt.  If your plan survives first contact with the enemy, your foes aren't very smart.  Or you're Batman.  I realize the analogy's a bit of a stretch, but the point remains the same -- few things are as simple as we expect. Before coming to work here at the Lake Shelbyville Area CVB / Shelby County Tourism Office (henceforth referred to as "the office"), I assumed everything was pretty straightforward.  Smile.  Hand out brochures and maps.  Answer questions over the phone (including "How far is the dam from the lake?" -- not far, by the way).

It turns out, in fact, that quite a lot goes on behind closed doors.  The office cooperates with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Lake Shelbyville and partners with several events throughout the community.  There are, of course, requisite niceties we show to those who come in looking for something to do, but the phrase "tourism office" is deceptively simplistic.  The people I work with have shown a remarkable ability to adapt to a variety of situations, even when they fall outside of what might considered strictly tourism related.  Much of the Visitor Guide is done in house, as is a majority of the work to get them to the public -- gathering, mailing, coordinating with the post office -- just to name one.  Just collecting the guides for distribution ends up being an adventure in itself, especially considering some of the unexpected locales.

Requests for Visitor's Guides have come in from Nigeria, Congo, Yemen, Greece, Morocco, Algeria, India, Guam, Mexico, the UK, Germany, Canada, Jamaica, France, the Philippines, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Czech Republic, Brazil, Italy, and Belgium.  Funding now forces us to file such requests electronically.

And speaking of the ever-evolving world of electronic communication, I have a new appreciation for those who monitor the Twitter feed(s), Facebook page(s), and website(s) of any given organization.  It's one thing to occasionally pop in and tell the world that my cat is chewing on my computer tower.  It's an entirely different monster to try and gather, monitor, and distribute relevant information on a social network.  Facebook as a means of friendly communication is nothing like Facebook as a networking tool.  It's nice in that it allows the office to quickly get information out to those looking for it.  Getting that information can be a pain.  It doesn't matter when I make Facebook posts about my cat, or a book, or the latest movie I've seen.  When it comes to time-sensitive information such as local events, meetings, or activities time becomes a crucial factor.  So to those of you who manage such information, kudos.  My hat goes off to you.  Well, first I would have to get a hat.  But mark my words, if I was wearing one right now, it would be off to you.

Of course, all this talk of complications and plans has a specific point.  We here at the office are working towards a free online newsletter for all who are interested in local events, attractions, and activities.  It's not quite ready yet, but you should keep an eye on the website for a link to our subscription.

Be sure to visit the official Lake Shelbyville Website @ www.lakeshelbyville.com

Are you on Facebook?  Like us @ Lake Shelbyville Area CVB

Don't miss a moment: Follow our Twitter feed in the right-hand column!