Donn James

Over the course of the past years I have mentioned texting in these pages before but something new came to mind the other day. We have an issue that may become a problem down the road as we forget how to spell real words. Have you ever typed a word so poorly that spellcheck doesn’t have any suggestions? How badly do you have to spell to stump spellcheck? It’s now a program that knows every word ever invented and if it can’t figure out what you’re trying to say, you should get a refund on all that money you spent on your GED. Hell, a squirrel dropping acorns at random on your keyboard can get spellcheck suggestions so if you’re typing the word “banana” so poorly that spellcheck gave up…you should consider learning a trade because Harvard is probably not an option.
I realize cell phones are here to stay and the majority of people I’m around can’t even relate to a time without them while I’ve been around so long, I can remember a time without electricity but I’m really quite concerned about the dumbing down of America. I thought we were pretty dumb already but I’m afraid we’re not far from the day when I type the letter K, my phone will come back and say, “Did you mean cat?” I know a young lady, a bright, college educated woman and she texted the other day the abbreviation “no1” and now I’m concerned that she’s forgotten how to spell the word one. It took me months to come to terms with the fact that she couldn’t find Nebraska and now she’s texting me in shorthand. When people began texting in this bastardized language they’ve invented I became curious about its origins. Were whole words just too many thumb strokes? Did someone get a cramp or sprain a thumb texting? Or are you just trying to get the message out because you’re in a hurry. What…is the light about to turn green? And as is the case in about 100% of the time…you’re in a hurry to send a message that nobody is in a hurry to read. In fact, I can wait until never to hear that this red light is making you late for your nail appointment.
I’ve realized what this age of immediacy has spawned is a nation of impatient scions who can no longer take the time to spell an entire word and who would be even happier if they could find a shortcut for the word I. That’s the downside to technology…we’ve become so good at inventing things that tell us what we used to say before we forgot how to spell it and we’ve improved the current type ahead feature so it knows me better than I know myself. I wrote a couple of weeks ago that when I type tom it knows I mean tomorrow and I thought it was just helping me remember the word but as it turns out, it knows I don’t have any friends named Tom.
Emojis are the worst and I’m a little embarrassed to admit using them occasionally but does no one else see the regression in play here? I’m getting texts filled with emojis and only a word here and there and I feel like I’m four again reading Dick and Jane Go to the Park because they were just picture books “written” under the guise of teaching you to read by giving you a giant picture of Dick and Jane and their dog Spot with only one word per page. They would be running and the word would be RUN and page 2 would be TO, page 3 would be THE and page 4 would be PARK. You’d be halfway through the damned book before you found out they were going to the park.
And if you really want to do something that doesn’t make me LOL, send me a picture of food. I don’t know who gave you the idea I wanted to see what you’re drinking or eating or even where you are. If I liked you I’d be sitting at the same table stealing a bite of your tiramisu. And I have the travel channel and the food network so I don’t need to see a picture of the Gordita Special you just picked up at Taco Bell.

It’s not really that different in business. IMC has in excess of 2000 promotional products that will help you serve your client and, for 2016.5, we have new products from our collections and our retail brand partners. We believe IMC products speak for themselves and we can also show you ways to use and market them to your clients. Our products with decoration will have your customer coming back time and time again. The 2016 IMC catalog is available by request from the IMC website and is posted on the online services. We’ll continue to treat our clients professionally and get your orders to you…on time and on budget. You can also get on the distribution list for our 2017 catalog using the catalog page of our website. In addition, IMC just introduced 97 new items at the SAAC show in California and they are live in the  section of our website. You may also go to our Tools section of the website and download the 2016.5 flyer. We have products for every event and if your client has invented a holiday or celebration, we can also custom-make almost anything you can dream to make your client’s event all it can be. Take a look at our YouTube channel to see some videos showcasing popular products for some ideas on how to use them. We take our business relationship seriously and we want you to enjoy, give and receive our products and be able to use them every day. We look forward to working with you and we always have ideas to make our products work for your clients. The 2016 IMC catalog is also live and available virtually at Zoomcatalog.com if you’re tired of fighting paper catalogs. It can be viewed nicely with your laptop, iPad, tablet or phone. IMC is the recognized leader in the introduction of new retail brands to the promotional product industry and has multiple design awards from both ASI and PPAI. Since introducing Waterford® Writing Instruments and MoMA years ago, IMC has presented more than 48 retail brands from global suppliers to enhance the selections you can offer your clients. We invite you to browse any of our 2,300+ products on the IMC website to see items suitable for any occasion or event and pieces you can use to personalize your relationship with your clients. We have promotional products for every event, show, convention, corporate store and company program that will keep your client looking to you for new ideas. What do you think? Let us know with a comment here or on Facebook or Twitter. IMC wants to know…if you’re ROTFL…shut up!