"Proactive"
You can be active about doing something or passive. So what the fuck is proactive other then bullshit management speak that seems to have broken free from the office.

Whoever wrote this wikipedia entry needs a good slap.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proactivity
(champagnerocker, Thu 8 Apr 2010, 13:52, 4 replies)

Well;
I always understood that "active" and "proactive" were more of a distinguisher between "time-undecided" and "time-decided" activities.

An example would be most Fire Services: They carry out Fire Calls if and when they arise; the timing and location are unknown until it happens. This is reactive activity.

A Fire Service may also carry out Inspections, install Smoke Alarms, and provide Education. This is usually planned weeks in advance, and serves to reduce Fire Call volume and severity. This is proactive activity; and is increasingly favoured as a way of lowering public safety spending, maintaining taxation income, and reducing fatalities.

A Fire Service could also be Passive; not initating any action in response to a Fire Call, or lacking resources to promote public safety. However, the days of only responding to holders of insurance policies with their corporate owners are gone; and few governments pass up on the substantial savings.

edit: minor edits
(The Incredible Sulk Finally remembered his password on, Thu 8 Apr 2010, 16:09, closed)

Well
If you are happy turning the Fire Brigade into a "proactive service" and are comfortable being on the same side of the fence as this group of indivduals www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAohdv4lkRc then good luck to you.
(champagnerocker, Thu 8 Apr 2010, 18:21, closed)

um
proactive versus reactive. In both cases you're being active, the question is when.

Edit: as neatly explained above.
( Legionary - My god, Brian, there's a message in my alphabets, Thu 8 Apr 2010, 16:52, closed)

^^^^YES!!!!
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction
Isaac Newton

He did not say for every proaction. The opposite of a nuclear reactor is not a nuclear proactor (though if there were such things, the numpties that came up with it would no doubt pronounce it as "noo-kyoo-lar"). When someone acts to prevent a potential problem, they are taking action to prevent it.

Proactive is a made up word for those too ignorant or stupid to realise that the opposite of "ractive" is "active"

And, The Incredible Sulk,, Inspections, smoke alarm installations, and education are not proactive activity, they are prevention and mitigation activity. The word "activity" conveys all the "getting off their arses before bad things happen rather than waiting for stuff to happen then reacting to it" meaning necessary for anyone with a firmer grasp of English than the average seven year old to understand it. Similarly, answering Fire Calls is not "reactive activity", it is "reaction".

See where we're going with this...?
( shinyshinyscalp less a man, more a way of life, Fri 9 Apr 2010, 13:41, closed)