You have probably heard the saying that 'first impression lasts forever'. Our brains form first impressions by creating a composite of all the signals given off by a new experience. Similarly fashion mirrors the inner personality and your mood. When you put on sackclothes, everyone instantly recognises that you are in a state of mourning a loved one. What you choose to wear says something about who you are. The great thing about fashion is that it is obviously very visible. For some other aspects of our lives, certain things may not be obviously very visible. It takes discerning eyes and minds to decipher and spot your personality out of that. One of such fields is writing. What you write portrays your attitude to life. It is not just about the content, most importantly, the style and grammar usage as well as typos. Being meticulous portrays a person who pays attention to details and has an eye for æsthetics.
I received an e-mail message on the morning of Thursday November 17, 2011 announcing 'good news'. Yes good news in these gloomy times, you know it is something you rarely get nowadays. Four people, making two couples whom I knew back at the University will be tying the nuptial knots on December 3, 2011. It is always a merry making occasion for all concerned to hear the sound of the voice of the priest authorising the bride 'now you may kiss your bride, mwuah!!! I just glanced through without paying attention to the details of the message. Later in the day, a colleague back at office in Ghana asked me if I had received a copy of the message. Thinking he was going to tell me something about 'how the lovebirds met' or news about them, I quickly replied in the affirmative without much thought. He however insisted if I read the whole e-mail thoroughly. When I indicated no, he then drew my attention to the typos in the email. Oh yes, it was terribly composed. The colleague then remarked, "I think the scribe should be spoken to, to be more meticulous when sending out such e-mails because 'the association' has a reputation which should be guarded." What is the import of this conversation? You are what you write.
Another colleague in the same office, two years ago was attending an interview at a reputable financial institution. He smartly deactivated his social networks accounts. Later he explained his action as that he is aware serious human resource managers or recruiters usually do background checks from social networks. This confirms the result of a recent survey of human resource professionals which found that more than one-third has visited social networking sites to look for information about employment candidates. Personal pages and videos posted on MySpace.com, YouTube.com, FaceBook.com and similar sites are now fair game when employers conduct “background checks” on job applicants. With concerns about office security, employee theft, and malicious behaviour on the rise, they want to learn as much as they can about the character of a person as well as their capabilities on-the-job.
This is why I was more than amazed at what I read today at the official Government of Ghana website. I just visited a page headlined SUMMARY OF GHANA AT A GLANCE following a news item on women and children that appeared on my blog's 'News Extra'. Not only that I observed more than one typo but also factual inaccuracies. The worst of it is the source of information on Ghana, guess what WORLD DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS (WORLD BANK WEBSITE). The immediate question that came to mind was, can't the ISD and Ministry of Information generate this data.
• GDP GROWTH ANNUAL: 4.7USD
• LIFE EXPENTANCY TOTAL YEAR:63.4 AT BIRTH
• LITERACY RATE, YOUTH:(FEMALE AGES 15–24 78.9
• LITERACY RATE, YOUTH:(FEMALE AGES 15–24 78.9
• PREVELENCE OF HIV/AIDS AGES 15–49 5.4 (2007)
• GHANA HAS 170 DISTRICTS
• GHANA HAS 170 DISTRICTS
• GHANA IS AN ISLAND OF ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRY IN THE OCEAN OF FRANCOPHONE NATIONS: (BURKINA FASO IN THE NORTH, TOGO IN THE EAST, COTE D’IVORE IN THE WEST AND THE ATLANTIC OCEAN IN THE SOUTH).
Ghana is an island of English speaking country in the ocean of Francophone nation, the Atlantic Ocean in the south. mmmm dumbfounded. For God's sake somebody must pull down this useless website immediately without fail. It is an absolute trash not worth even bearing the name Ghana much more official government site. If indeed these 'mere useful idiots' (apologies to Imani Ghana) are being fed fat on our taxes GH₵3,882.86 NET salaries per month excluding fringe benefits, then I have every right to demand accountability. Nobody loves coughing up choking taxes you know. People who benefit from the national kitty owe the tax payer responsibility to give back excellence and nothing less or more. This is not negotiable. If we are not throwing away our resources into the drain, then I can't fathom what else this country is coming to. This is a great shame. I feel very disgusted that no one feels that this speaks volume about our approach to business. It simply sums up what we are, a nation of chatters, we can't be a serious nation. Oki doki!
A couple of years ago, I chanced on a certain newspaper called 'The Enquirer'. It was new then on the Ghanaian newsstand but nearly tens years before that I had read the Liberian edition. That was full of stuffs regarding the civil strife that was then raging in that country. What about this news paper (Ghana version)that caught my attention? I remember the news item was a reportage about court proceedings involving a certain 'ant'. The editing was so horrible and terrible that I virtually had to re-edit the item before I could make any sense out of the report. I asked myself why must I pay money to gain value by way of knowledge only to end up doing the work of the editor. Don't forget the main role of the media is to educate, inform and entertain. How was I educated? Negative experience. I concluded and vowed never to read that paper again. In fact since then I always tune off any radio station that starts reviewing that news paper. I have lost every respect for that paper because 'my first impression created negative perception that cannot be easily erased from my memory.
A couple of years ago, I chanced on a certain newspaper called 'The Enquirer'. It was new then on the Ghanaian newsstand but nearly tens years before that I had read the Liberian edition. That was full of stuffs regarding the civil strife that was then raging in that country. What about this news paper (Ghana version)that caught my attention? I remember the news item was a reportage about court proceedings involving a certain 'ant'. The editing was so horrible and terrible that I virtually had to re-edit the item before I could make any sense out of the report. I asked myself why must I pay money to gain value by way of knowledge only to end up doing the work of the editor. Don't forget the main role of the media is to educate, inform and entertain. How was I educated? Negative experience. I concluded and vowed never to read that paper again. In fact since then I always tune off any radio station that starts reviewing that news paper. I have lost every respect for that paper because 'my first impression created negative perception that cannot be easily erased from my memory.
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| Mr Twister |
The level of mediocrity is overwhelming. What you write says a lot about you. Experts advise that you carefully compose every message and then even more carefully proofread what you have written. The reason can't be far fetched. Even the briefest and seemingly insignificant message between you and a reader within the global village becomes a part of your record. And, the messages you write online may have an even greater impact on your evaluation by discerning readers. It is a more candid snapshot of who you are and thus are often considered a more reliable gauge of how you will act once engaged. Investors will shun countries such as Ghana if they get onto our official website only to encounter negative experience. Are you thus surprised that that for the fiscal year 2011, the sector of the economy that mirrors how others perceive us (Ghana), tourism recorded a negative eleven percent? People who just might have heard of Ghana certainly need further information to decide whether to visit Ghana or choose another destination. I had the opportunity to do a presentation on Ghana. I had a limited time so I need to focus on the issue put on the table. Many of the people in the audience asked questions that clearly indicated their interest to know much more about Ghana. However after viewing this website, I feel vindicated not citing Government of Ghana as source of information.It is very disgraceful and I am disappointed. We need to understand that people with money to spend have plenty of choices as to where to go and spend the money. Inevitably, the critical factor that will determine this decision will be the availability and quality of information.
Mr. Twister, the concert party must be put behind bars, chained and discarded for good. One question: what is the GDP growth in Ghana for 2009? 4.7USD. A word to the wise....
