FOUR REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL ABOUT GDPR
Shakespeare, as so often, says it best. Over the past week, when your inbox and mine have been filled to the brim with GDPR-related emails, some words of the Bard have drifted irresistibly to mind.
There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.
Put it another way, if you decide something is a big, fat negative you’ll find it making you miserable. And vice versa.
Now, I’m not going to get into the rights and wrongs of GDPR. I’m certainly not going to start lecturing you about the steps you need to take to be compliant.
That’s the job of people like the splendid guys at PAAC-IT, who sorted me out with a privacy notice (see the footer) and various safeguards that mean that, when I start sending out my monthly newsletter, it will be in a legit way.
Yes, since I started offering copywriting services to businesses in Kingston and beyond, I’ve been promising to treat regular readers (and I hope you are both well) to a monthly digest of devastating insight and wit. I do hope that isn’t the sound of you holding your breath…
Anyway, I’ve been surprised by the number of people who have been irritated by GDPR. It’s not as if we didn’t know it was coming – we’ve been assailed for at least 12 months by exhortations to get everything in place by May 25 2018.
Once again, as so often over the last year building up my business, I’m reminded of the fundamental necessity to bring a positive mental attitude to the party.
And so, for anybody genuinely frazzled by all those “click here to subscribe” messages, here is my short list of reasons to be cheerful about GDPR.
1/ Quality, not quantity
Let’s be honest, when emails were first flying around it was cool to be on the receiving end of loads of them. Now? Not so much. I’ve enjoyed the feeling of either ignoring exhortations from those contacts you never quite got round to blocking, or hitting the unsubscribe button. I may get fewer emails from now on, but the chances are that the ones I do get are going to be more relevant.
2/ Power to the e-people
Isn’t it reassuring that, next time someone is particularly persistent, you can tell them to desist – or else? I’m going to try it on the next cold caller who wants to talk about the car crash that wasn’t my fault.
3/ Security isn’t a dirty word
Call me naïve, but actually, I’m quite comforted that everyone out there who has my personal data is now having to keep it securely and not allow it to be used for nefarious purposes.
4/ Keep calm and carry on
Call me really naïve, but… they’re not after you and me, are they? I mean, if I was really non-compliant and started hassling people left, right and centre and misusing their personal data, it would be really un-smart. But I’m sure the Information Commissioner’s Office has bigger fish to fry than me. They’re going to want some big scalps on their belt and, convinced though I am of LeBoo Media’s global magnificence, hanging me out to dry isn’t top of their to-do list. I hope.
As ever, you are very welcome to get in touch if you want some help with your written content. If that’s OK with you, it’s certainly fine by me.