Praise for 23 Things (while looking at Flickr)

I hear a lot of grumbling around me in the branch, but it is mostly good natured. “Have you done your Thing for this week yet?” “I’m stuck on Thing 3.” “When do we have time to learn all these Things?” But underneath the growls is a grin and the corners of their mouths twitch as they grumble. Why? Because “23 Things” is the best Thing to hit PPLD since 7 Habits. Yes, it’s hard to find the time to do the lessons, and yes they are confusing at times for those of us who aren’t techies by nature. But I’ve been watching what’s happening in our branch and this is what I see: I see employees reaching out to help and be helped by each other. I hear lots of “ah-ha!” moments when someone says, “Oh! I get it!” I see people growing and expanding their knowledge bases, living the PPLD philosophy of life-long learning. And maybe the most fun of all, I see people with a new shared vocabulary, including the ability to grumble about a Thing. Everyone is working on the Things, and it provides a common base and a discussion point, whether the person thinks the Thing is fascinating or stupid. Thank you for giving us Things to talk about! It’s a good Thing.