Re: The Past Year(1999-2000)
by The Inmate
Note: Two evaluations of The Corporate Asylum's first year in existence follow. One of them is the evaluation you would have received had The Corporate Asylum been a typical corporation, with a typical CEO immersed in the typical corporate culture of our day. The other is a genuine evaluation.
Genuine Evaluation | Typical Corporate Evaluation
To: Readers of The Corporate Asylum
Fr: The Inmate, Editor
Re: The Past YearIt is a little strange to realize that The Corporate Asylum has been up for a year. When I first started it I wondered if I would be able to or want to put something up nearly every week on a consistent basis. Often, just when I thought there was nothing new to write about something would happen at work to inspire an essay or journal entry. Many of the weeks when I had nothing to say, The Escaped Inmate, thankfully, did. It's great having another voice on The Corporate Asylum, because, as good as I am, or at least as good as think I am, this site needs the contributions of people who bring a different viewpoint and writing style. In a bold attempt to see the reality of the situation I realize that I do, indeed, need help. Rumor even has it the Ex-Salt Miner may be submitting an essay in the future. I almost, early on, badgered a review of the movie Office Space from the Screenwriter Inmate, but he backed out at the last moment. I shall continue to badger him in the future.
For those of you who are interested The Corporate Asylum's hits have been increasing slowly, but consistently. In April of 1999, the first full month, hits were just under 300 with probably over half of those being mine as I, the ignorant web underboy, tried to figure out web page construction. Last month, March, we surpassed 1700. It is very difficult to figure out how many people this indicates. For all I know most of those could be coming from web crawlers or some crazed inmate who likes to read The Corporate Asylum over and over and over and over again or my beloved mom who likes to see what I'm up to.
The most encouraging thing about hits has to do with the most popular web page which is without question the essay, "Re: Resignation Letters." In the latter part of 1999 I noticed that this page began getting lots of hits even though it was in the archives. In January and February it received over 200 hits. Ironically, I probably spent the least time writing this of almost anything on the web site. The poem, "A Not So Divine Comedy," on the other hand, on which I spent hours and hours, gets very, very few hits. Such is life.
My biggest disappointment has been the lack of feedback. I had hoped that "Rants and Raves" would be one of the most popular pages on the site, particularly if a lot of people with dissenting views wrote in, but that has not happened. In the past year The Corporate Asylum has received mail from three readers, two of whom I knew before this site was established. Writing is in some respects a peculiar endeavor. It seems strange to me that I can sit in my study, write passionately about something, post it on the internet where it can, theoretically, be read by anybody with internet access, but even if hundreds of people read something(as seems to be the case with "Re: Resignation Letters") there is little chance that I will know what their reaction to it is. Most people, and I am the same way, do not write the authors of the things they read. Email makes this a little more convenient, but I don't know if it has changed things that much.
I had also hoped that more people would offer their contributions in the form or essays, poems, movie reviews, work incidents and the like. Ultimately, I would like The Corporate Asylum be a forum for lots of voices and opinions.
I am paid up for another year. My plan was to do this for one year and then evaluate. I have evaluated and plan to do it one more year and evaluate again. I'd like to be able to make a little money at this, at the very least simply to pay for this site and give me a little extra for whatever, by selling Corporate Asylum t-shirts with quotes on them about work and branching off into Corporate Asylum real estate, life insurance and condoms, but I don't plan to do this unless hits increase significantly in the next year. I've had some experience trying to sell things of this nature(the t-shirts) and I'm not yet willing to risk that money on 1700 hits a month, particularly if those hits are web crawlers without checking accounts. I've thought about doing some advertising, but I really don't have the money to do that and in an ideal world I would just prefer that The Corporate Asylum grow by people who like it telling others about it. The only thing I have done is that when I get into a conversation with someone about work I give them a card with this internet address on it. In the coming years those cards will most likely be worth millions so hang on to them.
My philosophy about The Corporate Asylum is that as long as I want to do it I'm going to keep doing it. I've had a lot of fun and if it ever becomes something I don't look forward to doing then I'll stop. As I said in a journal entry, some of my other writing has got my attention at this point and if that continues, and I get no other contributions from readers, then many of my updates may consist solely of Weekly Thoughts. But I like to think that there is enough on the site at this point to keep people's interest. Hopefully, a discerning or weary or cynical or satisfied employee can happen upon The Corporate Asylum and be made to laugh and think a little.
I would like to thank The Escaped Inmate for his essay contributions which were poignant and humorous. I'd also like to thank The Ex-Salt Miner for her contributions to Rants and Raves and my long time friend, The Rugged Individualist for his initial response to this site which I loved responding to. Also, thanks to Poodlestew for his cartoon contributions. I would also like to thank my neighbor, The Computer Sage Inmate, for his dry, cynical sense of humor and his technical expertise and advice when I initially set up this site. I don'' even know if this is the correct terminology(forgive me, net fanatics), but I'd also like to thank the Web Host Inmate, for his help early on in getting The Corporate Asylum up and running. Thanks, also, to the Mythical Inmate, for her editorial suggestions, her encouragement and for being the love of my life.
I do truly hope that those of you who have been consistently or sporadically or periodically or annually reading The Corporate Asylum have enjoyed it. Now get off your butts(either literally or metaphorically) and back to work before your boss catches you reading this. If you're not at work can't you find something better to do than read The Corporate Asylum?
The Inmate
To: Our Most Important Assets
Fr: The Inmate, Chief Executive Officer of The Corporate Asylum
Re: Highlighting the Future Success of The Corporate Asylum*As the first year of The Corporate Asylum's existence draws to a close it is time to share some especially good news about our great beginning.* Well, what a year it has been! Overall, our results are very positive.* I want to thank you for your contributions to our current success.* The incredible effort you put into this new, up and coming web site is without precedent. Our hits have increased 1000% since March of 1999 and at this rate we will be one of the most popular web sites on the web sometime this decade. Our staff has more than doubled in size and, without question, is one of the best, if not the best, on the World Wide Web. But without you, our faithful readers, none of this would be possible. It is to you that we offer our thanks and gratitude.
How do you make an internet company successful?* Some experts would say service, some would indicate sales programs or competitive advertising, others contend that technology is the key, while still others argue that without outstanding employees an internet company couldn't possibly succeed.* I think the answer is "yes" to all of the above.* I can assure you that The Corporate Asylum is working hard in all these areas to bring to you the best site possible. I look forward to helping build a better Corporate Asylum with all of you.*
Sincerely,
The Inmate
Chief Executive Officer*denotes that sentence is based upon or is an actual quote from a CEO.
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