It's the People!
This is a fun exercise. It got me really thinking about why I do like working at ePrize. And one of the main things that immediately popped into mind, is the people.

The staff at ePrize is made up of an amazingly talented bunch of people. Hard working, dedicated people. At the bi-weekly company wide meeting, when the new hires introduce themselves, invariably almost all of them say something about how nice everyone has been. Or how excited they are to be here, because of the sheer amout of raw talent in the company.

Given that people who have moved on from ePrize still have such strong feelings about it, that they have to blog, is a testament to the company and the people. If a company didn't affect you in some way, change you so much, that when you left, you felt a loss, you had something now missing from you, then why would you keep thinking about it?

ePrize is such a dynamic and amazing place, that even if you think you didn't like it, it still affects you long after you are gone. The energy and enthusiasm that bubbles out of Mr. Linkner is contagious. You can't help but want to be a part of what we are all creating together. And at the core of it? People. Freaking amazingly awesome, brilliant, dedicated, hard working people.

Posted by Joshua at 3:20 PM

14 Comments:

yearofthechump said...
"Given that people who have moved on from ePrize still have such strong feelings about it, that they have to blog, is a testament to the company and the people. If a company didn't affect you in some way, change you so much, that when you left, you felt a loss, you had something now missing from you, then why would you keep thinking about it?"

I can think of another place that effects people deeply and stays on their mind years after they have left. It is called prison.

8/17/2006 4:16 PM
ePrizer said...
I agree Josh. As a current ePrizer, I love my fellow team members. There is so much talent here it is scary. Honestly, I'm glad these people are gone because they would only bring us down.

8/17/2006 4:18 PM
yearofthechump said...
Bring you down? Do you have any sort of metric for this? I did quite well in my position. Didn't get in too much troulbe(if any), did my work(well), and launched a few complicated promotoins. As time went I was given more important projects and more responsibility, even rewarded. Do you really think I would do anything but the best I could do? You don't even know who we are(presumably).

8/17/2006 4:58 PM
yearofthechump said...
Almost forgot. Loving your team members and having talent has nothing to do with my complaints. Don't think I regret leaving ePrize at times. I enjoyed working with my co-workers, rarely had an issue with any of them. I was regularly impressed with my co-workers and the talent they brought to the table. It is management and the yes-men that pissed me off. I suspect you might fall in to that category, either that or your still a greenhorn.

8/17/2006 5:00 PM
ePrizer said...
Let's just agree to disagree. You hate the place and are gone. I love the place and am there. I am trying to be part of the solution, you guys like to point fingers and complain how you are a victim of management. I am going to focus on positive, productive change and improvements while you continue to rage on.

My question - why don't you move on? Why are you focused on ePrize? I look forward to reading the blog about your current employer in 6 or 12 months when you determine that they were also horrible people and you, yet again, are another victim.

8/17/2006 5:06 PM
yearofthechump said...
I look forward to you posting a comment on here without taking a shot at the rest of us because we were not happy with our jobs. Its our right, get over it. But I suppose neither of us will get to see what we are looking forward to...

You'll see no such blog from me of that nature because even on my worst day, my employer now, is quite simply, not as bad as ePrize was. I have never really had a problem with my current employer. I've been there for nearly three years non-consecutive, with ePrize in between(I must not have brought them down too much huh?).

I left the first time because I wanted to try a different type of work, not because I had an issue with the company. I left eprize because despite the fact that I _loved_ the work and enjoyed the team, I wanted to be happy again.

You go right ahead and make those positive changes. I really hope ePrize does succeed because it does have potential. I just don't think its fair in any regard for you to come on here and belittle our reputations saying that we are playing victim and pointing fingers.

I was by no means 'on the way out' or held in any sort of disregard by management when I left(heh, that I know of). I'm hardly a victim. I do _not_ fit the definition of life just happening. I got tired, I left, period. Don't think we didn't see people push for change and/or try ourselves.

8/17/2006 5:48 PM
yearofthechump said...
I never answered your question...

'why don't you move on? Why are you focused on ePrize?'

I have a two part answer:

1.) Did it ever occur to you that for some of us, it really sucked once and a while? Sometimes crappy experiences stick with us, and we find entertainment in talking to people of a similar mind.
2.) I have moved on, new job, happier, but when I see prick's like you belitting people (calling us victims, implying that managmenet bears NO responsibility) I get ENRAGED. I feel the compulsive need to make a point of telling you what I think. To stand up and say your just plain full of crap. I did a good job, didn't bring the company down, and I didn't like working there.. Imagine that.

8/17/2006 5:53 PM
pjd said...
oh chump. my poor little friend. you do come off as a whiny victim. people like you congregate at these forums looking for other like minded people so you can feel better about being such a whiner. the very (public) nature of a blog is what that's about. "i'm unhappy, someone please agree with me so i can feel i am right!". sorry, but that is what you sound like. again. you didn't like working there so you left. done over and hopefully out. think about it. if you want to vent, do it like a normal person, to your spouse, friends, therapists, bartenders, whatever. you aren't affecting change, you are whining and looking for reassuarance. sad but true.

8/18/2006 7:00 AM
yearofthechump said...
pjd...


So why are you posting on the forum, repeatedly. Is it for any better purpose than mine? To get agreement in a public arena? You think somehow your stance is better than mine? we're both arguing on an internet blog, no one really wins here, its just ranting. The problem is when prick's like you and eprizer _think_ you're better than us because we are complaining. I've said it before, i'm not a victim by their definition. Life did not just happen to me. I applied for the job, got it, hated it after a year, and left. I took responsibility for my decision and made a counter-decision.



As for the whining, I may be doing my share, but my main point is that ePrize didn't suck because I did something wrong. ePrize sucked for other reasons, I went to my new job and things work out great there. The one constant between those two, is me. You and eprizer popping off that its our own faults is just as bad as us putting all the blame on management, neither of us is right. I'm sure I could have tried a _little_ harder to push on management but the bottom line is that sometimes, management retailiates if your not the good little soldier.

8/18/2006 8:40 AM
pjd said...
never said it was your fault.

you said: Life did not just happen to me. I applied for the job, got it, hated it after a year, and left. I took responsibility for my decision and made a counter-decision.

so great. you left, move on. does it make you feel better to try to tear something down? i post against you because you come off as whiny and disgruntled. i've left many awful work situations and have never felt the need to tear down companies or people as i left. eprize didn't steal anything, run a sweatshop or oppress anyone. move on with your life young sir. again, no one owes you anything. if you worked at Enron, then blog away. if not, just shut up already. we all know how you feel.

8/18/2006 9:02 AM
Joshua said...
chump you help me to prove my point.
you hide behind your anoymous name, spewing this raw anger out.

Why not use your energy and time for something constructive.

We get it, that you didn't like it here. Move on.
Comparing ePrize to prison, would mean people cannot leave, as you obviously did.

What dumbfounds me the most about all of this, is why people are so angery and bitter about their time here.
Sure, its hard work. We are absolutly working longer hours than anyone wants to. But these unchecked tirades of hatred boggle my mind.
At least dizgruntled makes valid points, you are simply spouting anger.

Take a deep breath my friend, and focus on what good things you have going on for you now, not what bad things happened to you in the past, as your last job.

8/18/2006 11:53 AM
yearofthechump said...
You wan't to know what makes me angry, people brining up anonymity. I've said it over and over again. The fact that I'm not putting my name behind this doesn't make any of it false. Period.

I also get slightly annoyed by people spouting happy thoughts about ePrize when they probably haven't been there long enough to really see what's happening and/or just aren't in the trenches (I'm not saying you fall into _either_ category).

However, your happy thoughts have their place, they serve (in your words) as they ying to the yang. All I ask is temper these words with some sort of level of experience. If you've been there a year and feel that way, good. If you've been there three months and feel that way, perhaps you should disclose this information to folks reading this. Let them add that grain of salt to your opinion.

For the perspective employee, it might be like reading a product review online. If the person has only been driving the car for two weeks, they have no true weight behind comments about things like the car's reliability...

I think my anger stems more from the people like eprizer who are tarnishing us by saying that we are weak, or victims, or what ever the hell they want to. Beyond any of my experiences at ePrize, the way that current(presumably) people like that dare to throw stuff like that around angers me the most.

For me this has become more of a defensive posture than a out and out rant about work. In the end, had I not seen crap like calling former disgruntled's 'victims' and 'helpless' and 'whiners' I probably would have never done more than just read. My first comment here was actually done in jest but it certainly tempted eprizer like someone tearing down a propaganda poster.

8/18/2006 3:30 PM
yearofthechump said...
As for not making constructive critisism, at some point someone pointed out that its pointless for us to complain because we don't know how things are. Since I'm not there, I have nothing construtive to add that would be of use(because no doubt things have changed a bit in 6 months, thats how life works).

Its not my previous work experience that angers me now. Its that someone like eprizer and pjd can be so disrespectful to the others here who honestly have valid opinions(maybe even current ones). My previous work experience lets me identify with these people, and seeing them get talked down to pisses me off. I'm not saying they need defending, or even want it, it just pisses me off.

8/18/2006 3:33 PM
yearofthechump said...
So not on topic, but it _so_ speaks to my ADHD nature that I can't manage to post all my thoughts at once.

8/18/2006 3:46 PM