Author: Andrea Monti

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When Losing Is Winning

A couple of days ago I got an message from a perspective client in the food industry whose need was data-protection consulting services : he didn’t feel like accepting my proposal, so he kindly turned it down.

I should have been saddened by this lost opportunity but I was actually not.

Before sending the quote for my services, I met the client in his plant, talked extensively about his company’s situation and needs. We had different opinions about what were the issues to fix and what the related time and costs would have been.

Yes, I could have had the costs fall as he asked, and the services “reshaped” according to the customer perception of his condition. But I did not.

A fair consultancy work can be done only with a full agreement with the client and a clear mutual understanding of goals and methods. If it isn’t so, then is better not to take the assignment because the client will finally be unsatisfied and the consultant’s professional reputation is hampered by what is perceived as as a cheap and poor quality job.

At the end of the day, then, we both won: no time has been wasted, money has been saved, and a business relationship has been preserved.

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Italian “Cookie Law” and the Misinformation about Google Analytics

There is a lot of hype in Italy about this “cookie law” put into force since June, 2 that makes mandatory to obtain the consent of a user accessing a website to allow his “profiling” through the use of cookies.As always, a ? fleet of ? “advisers” kept, full steam, pushing companies to comply with this regulation, foreseeing dire consequences for the non-abiding companies, especially those using Google’s Analytics.

This is not entirely correct, so it is better to clarify a few points:

First of all: “cookie law” is not a “law”, but just an order issued by the Data Protection Authority under its “peculiar” view of the EU Data Protection Directive(s),

Second: the data protection directive (and its local enforcements) work only with “personal data”, i.e. data that identify or made possible to identify a natural person,

Third: a user that access anonymously a website doesn’t reveal his identity, thus the data protection act doesn’t come into play,

It comes from above that a website using Google Analytics without looking of the identity of the user is not subjected this stupid “cookie law”.

Simple as that.

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Take It Personal or The Way of the Craftsman

Don’t take it personal. This is the mantra we’re all taught when entering the professional business. By don’t taking things “personally” – cognoscenti say – we are more independent, target-oriented, able to better work in a team.

But in the meantime, by not “taking things personally”, assignments are something that ends daily at 5 p.m. no matter what, ? companies are just a place to leave from as soon as a well paid (in power or money when and if a) job is found, work is not filled with passion, creativity and personal involvement. Greed and Laziness become your best buds and complaints become your only conversation topic.

On the contrary, if you “take it personal” the pivot of your world become the exploiting of your creativity, appreciation for a well done task and sharing your wisdom with your peers. As an accomplished craftsman or artist you put yourself in the things you do and things you do speak about you better than any fancy written CV.

Think of it, next time somebody hints you not to “take it personal”.

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Giuffrè Editore (Lexis-Nexis partner)’s Update Disturbing Policy

consolleLexis-Nexis Italian partner, Giuffrè Editore, is active in both the editorial and software business. One of its tool is a java application to handle the electronic document filing to the Court’s dock.

As the screenshot shows, the OSX version of this software requires on outdated java version because Giuffrè didn’t update its code. As they write on the website: “last java versions have problem. Download from here the recommended version”.

In other words: we don’t want to fix the software you paid, so stay stick with an older java version.

So ? a lawyer wanting to continue using this software faces these alternatives:

  • downgrade the Java version installed on his computer, thus risking incompatibilities with up-to-date application and having his computer possible stability issues,
  • buy a computer (or virtualize one) “just” to use Giuffrè softwares,
  • move to another software and start using it for scratch.

Whatever the option, the customer is the losing part.