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Girls just wanna have fun
I keep hearing how we need to turn communication into a fun game. At the Mesh11 conference, Gabe Zicherman talked about how marketing is becoming "gamified," with badges, rescue missions and other techniques adapted from video games. As Gabe said, "The future is fun." Last week I read an article in the New York Times about how humourous writing has turned Groupon into this year's online darling. Sure, most workplaces encourage fun on special occasions. But usually there's a thick black marker line between work and fun. Even in pro-fun offices, you hear: "We work hard. We play hard." Work/fun line fading But maybe that line is fading. Pause to sing, dance or otherwie rejoice. The anti-fun campaign began in grade school when the teachers told us to stop horsing around. But the teachers I remember, and learned the most from, knew how to make learning fun. At work, I've often gotten into trouble for having too much fun: for laughing too loudly, for not taking this week's flavour seriously enough. Put people at ease Yet, because I enjoy what I do, work is usually fun. What's more, I frequently build in fun for others. For example, with the software engineer I'm about to interview, I'll probably chat briefly, maybe say something funny, to put him at ease before I start asking questions. Like a game, I also give myself rewards when I complete a task, especially the ones I loathe. For example, when I finished my tax preparation, I rewarded myself with red jeans. I smile every time I put on this badge. In my writing training, I advise people how to use humour in workplace communication. Don't you always remember the presenter who started with a good joke? Don't you want to do business, and pleasure, with fun people? Think about games I'm going to further explore this notion of gamification, which I had earlier written off because of my total lack of interest in video games and such. I'd love to cook up the secret sauce that mesmerizes my teens on Farmville, Call of Duty and other games. I want you to have as much fun reading this newsletter as I do playing Monopoly, Scrabble or gin rummy. You're right. I have my work cut out for me. Like me, you probably never stopped wanting to have fun, despite the best efforts of teachers and bosses As Cyndi Lauper sang: "Girls just wanna have fun." Lucky for us, fun is becoming serious business. | 
