The Web II

The Stress Doc finishes itemizing a startling two weeks of contact with diverse cyberspatial entities - from new and established offline magazines to a reporter and a mental health director exploring the pain and needs of their respective constitutencies. Are you ready to launch, to encounter those WWW- UFOs: Unanticipated Future Opportunities?

The Web: Madness or Mistress, Mystery or Master? Part II

3. Academic Flashdancing. The third unexpected inquiry was an email from the Executive Editor of a new, four-color offline magazine, Adult Ed Today. Having discovered from my website that I was a national speaker, Carol solicited an article. Her magazine targets university and Fortune 500 decision-makers looking for high quality speakers. Of course, in addition to an article, there was a chance to be listed in the National Speaker Section, a color head shot of the speaker, plus 1/6th of a bio/topic page. I wonder how quickly she sensed a Stress Doc fish was on her advertising line?

When the glossy publication arrived via snail mail, I was hooked. There on the cover was a small photo of Betty Eadie, author of the life-after-death best seller, Embraced By the Light. And the main cover girl was none other than Joan Rivers…Embraced By the Mouth. (Also, a complex Hollywood, life- after-death story.) Of course, I'm just being playful about Miss Joan being mouthy. Hey, I can't talk. My professional slogan - "Have Stress? Will Travel: A Smart Mouth for Hire!" Well, if it takes money to make money, I put some money where my mouth is. So all you meeting and conference planners, check out Adult Ed Today.

4. Still Going Postal. A couple of days had past. No surprising media-rites hurtling down from cyberspace. But then…a journalist from US News and World Report calls. An online series about my struggle with depression and eventual trial with Prozac (email stressdoc@aol.com) mentioned my demanding year as a stress and violence prevention consultant for a major East Coast Processing and Distribution Plant of the US Postal Service. The journalist caught my essay on Mental Heath Net, an internet clearinghouse which features some of my writings. She wanted to know what made the USPS such a stressful workplace environment. Perhaps I'll share my answer in a future column. Just keep these points in mind: The mail never stops and if you think you have an issue with junk mail, trust me, you can't even fathom the extent of the problem! Anyway, we had close to an hour phone interview. I'll let you know when the article hits the street.

5. Northern Burnout. This call was pretty straightforward. A director of a mental health/social service agency in Ottawa, Canada involved with the elderly asked for material on burnout. He was preparing for staff development on preventing and recovering from what I call "The Erosive Spiral." (Email me for my burnout packet.) Of course, I reminded him of my portability and that I could be bought. (See 3. above.)

6. California Dreamin. At About 8:40 EST, while getting ready for my Tuesday, 9-10:30pm AOL/Digital City "Shrink Rap and Group Chat (for AOL folks, here's the link <A HREF="aol://4344:363.gorkin.5732839.568857121">Dig City Promo - Stress Doc</A> ), the phone rings. It's a reporter from the LA Times wanting information on employees who have been multiply downsized. The reporter's timing was impeccable. That morning I had led a "Managing Stress, Loss and Change through Humor" training class for ex-federal employees/contractors who had lost their positions die to reorganization, reduction in force (RIFs) and other ax-cronyms. Over the past months I have encountered numerous aerospace engineers, computer specialists, proposal writers, etc. who have been unmercifully bounced around. After providing the Times reporter some organizational resource phone numbers, he then casually hits me with a number: "By the way, did you know that according to Hot Spot ratings (a Nielsen-like service that measures online traffic) for the topic of "layoffs" yours is the fourth most visited site on the entire web?!

My initial neuronal eruption was, "You've got to be bs-ing me!" When I articulated my disbelief, he assured me it was true. And, I proceed to have another 48 hour cybermania attack.

Again the message is clear: With hard work, by collaborating with folks who can do strategic web design and search engine placement, by offering useful, stimulating and engaging reader-friendly content to a variety of internet forums cyberportals open. "Netrepreneurs" can market and sell soft, "high touch" products and services on the internet. I'm still offering my Online Coaching Services for developing your program content and expanding a marketing presence. So, get moving, get psyched, stop procrastinating, jump into the cyberether. Have no fear (well, maybe a little) the Stress Doc is here to help you…"Go web young cyber-ite!" and, of course…Practice Safe Stress!

Mark Gorkin, "The Stress Doc," Licensed Clinical Social Worker, is a nationally recognized speaker, workshop leader and author on stress, reorganizational change, anger, team building, creativity and humor. He is also the internet's and the nation's leading "Psychohumorist." The Stress Doc is a columnist for the popular cyber-newsletter, Humor From The Edge . Mark is also the "Online Psychohumorist" for the major AOL mental health resource network, Online Psych and Financial Services Journal Online -- http://fsc.fsonline.com/fsj . And he is an offline writer for two mental health/substance abuse publications -- Treatment Today and Paradigm Magazine. His motto: Have Stress? Will Travel: A Smart Mouth for Hire! Reach "The Doc" at (202) 232-8662, email: Stress Doc@aol.com, or check out his "Hot Site" website: http://www.stressdoc.com . (The site was selected as a USA Today Online "Hot Site" and designated a four-star, top-rated site by Mental Health Net.)

** For his free newsletter, Notes from the Online Psychohumorist ™ or for info on the Stress Doc's Online Coaching program, email stressdoc@aol.com .