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I really must get back to packing for my trip to Costa Rica, but this headline caught my eye and I couldn’t resist citing it quickly here: “Sending an S O S for a PC Exorcist.”
It’s a quick, funny read. Well, it’s pathetic, really and sad how much misery so many people endure from their computers. But, it’s still funny to read, especially since it didn’t happen to me . . . this time.
At high noon on a recent Monday, I leaped up from my desk vowing to commit the most sensational attack of revenge in the history of the personal computer industry. Just 72 hours earlier, I had taken delivery on a Dell Inspiron 1720 laptop loaded with Microsoft Windows Vista. It was already on the blink. I couldn’t open a Word document. I couldn’t run a Google search. I couldn’t even send e-mail. I vowed to shave Michael Dell and Bill Gates with a broken beer bottle.
Casio’s new 8.1-megapixel Exilim Zoom EX-Z80 features a YouTube capture mode that shoots movie clips in the site’s recommended format and resolution.
It looks handy and fun, but I wonder if the video is decent? Seems most still cameras that add video capability fall short, but perhaps by only aiming at the lower-level quality needed for online video, the results could be better.
OK, I’m impressed. I got a friendly email from the Obama campaign (I’m not really so gullible to believe the candidate sent it personally, but his name on it is a nice personal touch). It invites me to call people and urge them to vote for Obama.
Do I have to go to a phone bank somewhere to do this? Do I have to sit through some training so I know what to say? Do I even have to get up from my chair? No, no and no. Read the rest of this entry »
If I had a dollar for every contact center that claims to be highly customer-centric, I’d be able to purchase a condo in Aspen. If I had a dollar for every contact center that truly embodies customer-centricity, I’d be able to purchase a lift ticket in Aspen — maybe.
To get you started, here are the seven (7) “critical tactics of the most customer-centric contact centers” that Greg identifies: Read the rest of this entry »
I haven’t read this book, but the NYT review of it, “Log On. Tune Out,” makes for good reading, itself. In Lee Siegel’s book, Against the Machine, he looks at the way the Internet is reshaping American culture he and doesn’t like what he sees. Some valid points, and also some good criticism offered by the reviewer.
Thanks to my Mom for passing this along. As a big fan of the Mac vs PC commercials, I had to read the NYT article, “Is Obama a Mac and Clinton a PC?” In case you have been living under a rock and have not seen the Mac vs. PC commercials, here is one of my favorite ones (you can see them all on Apple’s website).
The article in the NYT features interviews with design professionals who have analyzed each candidate’s website.
On one thing, the experts seem to agree. The differences between hillaryclinton.com and barackobama.com can be summed up this way: Barack Obama is a Mac, and Hillary Clinton is a PC.
While this is an interesting exercise and amusing to read about, the meaty story that led the NYT to write about it came from a blogger, Doug Kendall, on The Huffington Post, in a piece titled, “Obama’s a Mac, Clinton’s a PC.” I found it to be more compelling reading, in fact.
But Democrats are still deeply divided. Having been in the political wilderness for much of the last 30 years, we are, understandably, a risk adverse bunch. We cling to Hillary like that old-reliable PC that we keep on our desks. We respond to her message: she’s tested, able to handle every dirty trick Republicans will throw at her, ready on day one.
David Pogue of the NYT is one of my favorite technology columnists, along with Walter Mossberg of the WSJ. And his weekly emails, with stuff that didn’t fit in the print edition of “All the new that’s fit to print,” are less formal and often more fun.
Here’s some amazingly insightful and succinct advice about buying an HDTV (I’m wishing, wishing, wishing . . .) in this week’s email, titled “Clearing Up Some Confusion Over HDTV “– and his source, of all places, is a Best Buy salesperson selected at random — go figure!
In my weekly CNBC/Times video today, I pulled what I thought would be a brilliant stunt: I’d interview a TV salesman at Best Buy, firing a lot of typical confused-consumer questions at him. Then, during playback of that interview, I’d keep pausing the tape to correct him or interject little asides.
Well, the “correcting him” bit didn’t work at all. Steve at the Best Buy in Norwalk, Conn., was amazing, easily one of the most fluent HDTV experts I’d ever met. He was unstumpable.
Bookmark the column if you ever think you’ll be shopping for an HDTV (wishing, wishing, wishing …).
eMarketer (one of my favorite websites for all kinds of statistics related to marketing) cites various studies in this short article, “Search Marketing’s 800-Pound Gorilla.” In short, search marketing is taking off like a rocket, and for good reason:
“At least 155 million people in the US used search engines in 2007,” says Mr. Hallerman. “That number will rise by 25 million in 2011.”
Marketers have noticed:
eMarketer estimates that US search advertising spending grew almost 27% last year.
I just had an experience with an online help tool that looks like no other I have seen. I was looking for PB Wiki help and I got directed to their Get Satisfaction site. I’m a heavy wiki user (they call me “Wikiman”) and I wanted to learn how others are using wikis for project management.
I was not so impressed with the amount of resources in the Get Satisfaction site for PB Wiki, but I assume that’s because it’s only recently been deployed. The interface appears to be intuitive, it’s graphically appealing, and it’s an awful lot friendlier and welcoming than a standard forums page. I always feel overwhelmed the first time I go to a company’s user forum page — it’s just intimidating to see so many specific topics going on for page after page.
So, I posted my question and I’ll see what kind of response I get. According to the site, 17 PB Wiki staffers were “listening” on the site, so it’s not just depending on users to respond. Either way, if you’re looking for a customer-facing online help tool for your organization, you might want to take a look at Get Satisfaction’s application.
Oh, one more thing: it’s free! There’s quite a long list of companies that are already using it, too. And if you don’t set it up for your company, there’s a chance that one of your customers will (that’s one of the options allowed). I won’t even go into the whole topic of managing user-generated content about your organization, but let’s just say that this tool could be used both for good and evil purposes. Consider this your heads up!
I really must get back to packing for my trip to Costa Rica, but this headline caught my eye and I couldn’t resist citing it quickly here: “Sending an S O S for a PC Exorcist.”
OK, I’m impressed. I got a friendly email from the Obama campaign (I’m not really so gullible to believe the candidate sent it personally, but his name on it is a nice personal touch). It invites me to call people and urge them to vote for Obama.
call center management 
David Pogue of the NYT is one of my favorite technology columnists, along with Walter Mossberg of the WSJ. And his weekly emails, with stuff that didn’t fit in the print edition of “All the new that’s fit to print,” are less formal and often more fun.
