Category Archives: Meetings

Remember to turn off your WebEx when the demo ends. Especially if you have strange fetishes.

For real? I’ve never seen anyone’s fetishes on WebEx. But whenever I’m getting a screensharing demo and the presenter forgets to disconnect at the end of the call, I can’t keep myself from watching for minute or two, before I disconnect. You never know.

See also: Tip #48: TMI.

If you’re a PR person sitting in the room while I interview your client, don’t pretend you’re a reporter and ask questions of said client during the meeting. Tech journalists are spoon-fed enough as it is, you don’t need to jam the flatware down my throat.

Come to think of it, I may institute a new no-PR-in-the-room policy. Don’t know why I hadn’t thought of that before.

See also: Tip #32: Hush, now.

If you call me at 2:00 pm to schedule a 3:00 pm interview, and your announcement is actually important enough that I want to take the call, and if we both understand that 3:00 to 3:30 pm is the only block of time left in the whole day that actually works for both of us, make damn sure your exec will actually be available at 3:00 to 3:30.

And if not, don’t wait until 3:20 to call to tell me we need to reschedule.

When giving a demo, especially over the Web, don’t use example data (like addresses and phone numbers) you don’t want to see captured in screenshots and published on the home page of my site.

Dear PR Person: If you find me engaged in a conversation with one of your client company’s founders at a party or trade show, don’t interrupt to tell me about your other clients.

For real: You should have a killer 10-floor elevator pitch. But also keep in mind that my office is on the sixth floor.

I would like to nap every day at 2:00 in the afternoon, but I can’t. So I schedule demos then instead. You’ve been warned.