Archive for

Monday, March 31st, 2008 11:59 pm GMT +8

...

Twitter Updates for 2008-03-31

no comments
  • @megfowler hope you’re feeling better :) #
  • @Fifikins well done !! #
  • @megfowler re the new avatar – text needs to be bolder / bigger #
  • @Fifikins mothers ruin !!! (as opposed to JD and / or Bundy, which has caused my ruin a few times…) #
  • @jjprojects are we still on daylight saving ? no wonder the morning has gone so fast …. #
  • @Scobleizer friends v no-friends ? former is ALWAYS better (even from m/f days), from dev through to usage (tips&tricks) #
  • @Scobleizer point is that no matter how good it is, ANYTHING works better with a community behind it #
  • @Scobleizer from the iPhone to the chevy 327 #
  • @Scobleizer 1) the bigger the user community, the better (in the short term) for the vendor #
  • @Scobleizer 2) the bigger the usercommunity, the more knowledge about the product / service and how to get around any faults #
  • @Fifikins can i have your job ? please ?? #
  • @Scobleizer the issue is filtering which of those signals are worth keeping and which are noise – not as easy for us as for you :) #
  • @megfowler meh – birthdays…. what matters is what you do, not how long you’ve been doing it !! #
  • @Alegrya It’s nice to work with people who care enough to notice that you’re looking different today (compared to any other day) #
  • @oddfollow see http://twitter.com/Metaforum perhaps link bait ? #
  • @megfowler @01000101 none of us are old enough that we need to celebrate ‘just being alive’ (or are we ?) #
  • @jjprojects I thought that was the only kind of fun paerwork (unless you count writing receipts with lots of zeros) #
  • I just signed up for http://www.twittersoap.com. Twittersoap enables you to add layers to your conversation on Twitter. Try it! #
  • @lyricbot swet sweet jane #
  • @megfowler your roommate is mandy moore ? :) #
  • @ccmehil – @scobleizer and thomas hawke ran a few photowalks last year. dunno if they’re still into it #
  • @ccmehil you could use meetup.com or similar to set up local ones ? #
  • argghh . Just seen the time 5:51 !! I’m meant to be home at 6 :) cop yah later, all #
  • @iquit 3 #
  • morning, all #
  • @bck @blueteam or @blueteam_ ? #
  • @bck well, i have a crap webpage up for @blueteam_ – #
  • @bck ahh thats cool (about the underscore one) – I’ll have a fluff around with http://0026ff.com/ #
  • @blueteam added link to make your own avatar to http://0026ff.com/ #
  • @Alegrya quite possibly, but hen where’s the nerdness in writing tools and ugly web pages ? #
  • thingsto do today – learn to type #
  • I thought about speech recognition to fix my typing. But umm and ahhs would use up my tweet space #
  • plus i work in an open plan ofice, so all our ‘corporate secrets’ would be tweeted as well #
  • @leolaporte welcome to Oz #
  • The cookies escape team were double crossed by @andrewsayer #
  • @jowyang and don’t forget that some of those following you are spam etc #
  • @mikepratt @joywang you need to spend the time checking their timeline to do that :) #
  • Q: Wait a second. I live in the US. Does this mean I’m now 2 days behind Australia? A: Yes. Yes it does #

Powered by Twitter Tools.

Twitter Updates for 2008-03-31

no comments
  • @megfowler hope you’re feeling better :) #
  • @Fifikins well done !! #
  • @megfowler re the new avatar – text needs to be bolder / bigger #
  • @Fifikins mothers ruin !!! (as opposed to JD and / or Bundy, which has caused my ruin a few times…) #
  • @jjprojects are we still on daylight saving ? no wonder the morning has gone so fast …. #
  • @Scobleizer friends v no-friends ? former is ALWAYS better (even from m/f days), from dev through to usage (tips&tricks) #
  • @Scobleizer point is that no matter how good it is, ANYTHING works better with a community behind it #
  • @Scobleizer from the iPhone to the chevy 327 #
  • @Scobleizer 1) the bigger the user community, the better (in the short term) for the vendor #
  • @Scobleizer 2) the bigger the usercommunity, the more knowledge about the product / service and how to get around any faults #
  • @Fifikins can i have your job ? please ?? #
  • @Scobleizer the issue is filtering which of those signals are worth keeping and which are noise – not as easy for us as for you :) #
  • @megfowler meh – birthdays…. what matters is what you do, not how long you’ve been doing it !! #
  • @Alegrya It’s nice to work with people who care enough to notice that you’re looking different today (compared to any other day) #
  • @oddfollow see http://twitter.com/Metaforum perhaps link bait ? #
  • @megfowler @01000101 none of us are old enough that we need to celebrate ‘just being alive’ (or are we ?) #
  • @jjprojects I thought that was the only kind of fun paerwork (unless you count writing receipts with lots of zeros) #
  • I just signed up for http://www.twittersoap.com. Twittersoap enables you to add layers to your conversation on Twitter. Try it! #
  • @lyricbot swet sweet jane #
  • @megfowler your roommate is mandy moore ? :) #
  • @ccmehil – @scobleizer and thomas hawke ran a few photowalks last year. dunno if they’re still into it #
  • @ccmehil you could use meetup.com or similar to set up local ones ? #
  • argghh . Just seen the time 5:51 !! I’m meant to be home at 6 :) cop yah later, all #
  • @iquit 3 #
  • morning, all #
  • @bck @blueteam or @blueteam_ ? #
  • @bck well, i have a crap webpage up for @blueteam_ – #
  • @bck ahh thats cool (about the underscore one) – I’ll have a fluff around with http://0026ff.com/ #
  • @blueteam added link to make your own avatar to http://0026ff.com/ #
  • @Alegrya quite possibly, but hen where’s the nerdness in writing tools and ugly web pages ? #
  • thingsto do today – learn to type #
  • I thought about speech recognition to fix my typing. But umm and ahhs would use up my tweet space #
  • plus i work in an open plan ofice, so all our ‘corporate secrets’ would be tweeted as well #
  • @leolaporte welcome to Oz #
  • The cookies escape team were double crossed by @andrewsayer #
  • @jowyang and don’t forget that some of those following you are spam etc #
  • @mikepratt @joywang you need to spend the time checking their timeline to do that :) #
  • Q: Wait a second. I live in the US. Does this mean I’m now 2 days behind Australia? A: Yes. Yes it does #

Powered by Twitter Tools.

Twitter Updates for 2008-03-30

no comments
  • @iquit 5 #
  • changing my sho-fone number EVERYWHERE (: #
  • then again, its cuz I’ve replaced the work-supplied provider and fone with an N95 :) #
  • iquit 4 #
  • @iquit 4 #

Powered by Twitter Tools.

Test Regular Expressions Online

no comments

RegExr is a web tool for testing those widely used (yet often confusing) regular expressions. Regular expressions (regex) are search patterns that help you find strings of text in e-mail messages, text files, etc.

image

To use RegExr, type your expression in the top box, and then type/insert text in the box below to see if it matches your expression. You can use the helpful sidebar to learn about and insert different regex strings to build your overall pattern.

Things like Usenet search tools, Google Code search, and Open Office support regex, and regex versatility far surpasses simple wildcard searches like *.exe. For instance, a regular expression like .*@([^.]+\.)*example.com$ will find all email addresses from example.com (and its subdomains).

Simple Mix Tape Building and Sharing

no comments

There’s now two services that let you create a mix tape online.

image

Making a mix tape with Mixwit is super easy. You can upload your own artwork for the tape skin, search for songs online and drag and drop them on the playlist you’re creating, share by publishing it on Mixwit or even embedding on your blog or website. It’s absolutely free too.

image

The connections of the builders of Muxtape are demonstrated by the early mixes uploaded by Jakob Lodwick (of Vimeo) and Patrick Moberg (of nygirlofmydreams.com fame). Muxtape is easy as pie: upload songs in mp3 format, drag and drop to organize, send the link to your friends.
Muxtapes hold up to 12 songs in a nice minimal layout (LARGE TYPE! CLICK TO PLAY! CLICK AGAIN TO STOP!). You can’t download songs directly from other people’s Muxtapes, which keeps the focus on finding good new artists to support. Justin says RSS feeds and m4a support are already in the works, so Muxtape should just keep getting easier.

TwitterFox add-on for Firefox

no comments

TwitterFox is another way to keep up to date with your Twitter contacts without actually visiting Twitter.com. However, what sets TwitterFox apart from Firefox add-ons like TwitBin is that TwitterFox doesn’t take up space in your browser sidebar. Instead, it sits in the firefox system tray and pops up only when your contacts post a new tweets or when you click on the icon to read your latest messages.

TwitterFox

The small T icon in the sidebar or system tray will display the number of your unread messages. And when you click the icon a window will pop up showing your latest tweets, sorted by Recent, Replies, and Direct messages. You can send a message by typing in the box, and you can include a link by hitting the link button.

TwitterFox doesn’t include some of the more advanced tools you’ll find in application like Twhirl, such as snipurl integration or a user lookup feature. But if you don’t feel like installing Adobe AIR just to use a Twitter client, TwitterFox might be worth checking out.

Twitter Updates for 2008-03-29

no comments
  • @iquit 5 #
  • @iquit 1 #

Powered by Twitter Tools.

Twitter Updates for 2008-03-28

no comments
  • @jjprojects did you tell it you loved it and you’d respect it in the morning ? #
  • @jjprojects It’s love for you dependent on how much you’ve spent on Apple gear #
  • @bck the pants got smashed ? #
  • @Fifikins how many colours have you used so far ? #
  • @Fifikins add purple to the mix and it will be modern art #
  • @Fifikins … or one of the kids kindergarten paintings :) #
  • @jjprojects It knows there’s an Apple store opening in George St #
  • @bck don’t put it down your pants #
  • @cameronreilly We aren’t in the big smoke any more :) #
  • mmmm luinch mmmmmmm #
  • @Fifikins whats the big celebration ? #
  • @iquit 2 #
  • @iquit 1 #

Powered by Twitter Tools.

Match it for pratchett

1 comment

Sometimes there’s a good reason that everyone’s linking to something.  Match It for Pratchett.

5 reasons why “The customer is Always Right” is wrong

no comments

Some extracts from a post by someone who call himself the Chief Happiness Officer:

1: It makes employees unhappy

When we run into customers that we can’t reel back in, our loyalty is with our employees. They have to put up with this stuff every day. Just because you buy a ticket does not give you the right to abuse our employees . . .

This logic behind this attitude is that it balances employees and customers, where the “always right” maxim squarely favors the customer, which causes resentment among employees.

2: It gives abrasive customers an unfair advantage

Using the slogan “The customer is always right” abusive customers can demand just about anything – they’re right by definition, aren’t they? This makes the employees’ job that much harder, when trying to rein them in.

Also, it means that abusive people get better treatment and conditions than nice people. That always seemed wrong to me, and it makes much more sense to be nice to the nice customers to keep them coming back.

3: Some customers are bad for business

One of our service technicians arrived at a customer’s site for a maintenance task, and to his great shock was treated very rudely by the customer.

When he’d finished the task and returned to the office, he told management about his experience. They promptly cancelled the customer’s contract. …. Note that it was not even a matter of a financial calculation – not a question of whether either company would make or lose money on that customer in the long run. It was a simple matter of respect and dignity and of treating their employees right.

4: It results in worse customer service

Rosenbluth argues that when you put the employees first, they put the customers first. Put employees first, and they will be happy at work. Employees who are happy at work give better customer service because:

  • They care more about other people, including customers
  • They have more energy
  • They are happy, meaning they are more fun to talk to and interact with
  • They are more motivated

On the other hand, when the company and management consistently side with customers instead of with employees, it sends a clear message that:

  • Employees are not valued
  • That treating employees fairly is not important
  • That employees have no right to respect from customers
  • That employees have to put up with everything from customers

When this attitude prevails, employees stop caring about service. At that point, real good service is almost impossible – the best customers can hope for is fake good service. You know the kind I mean: corteous on the surface only.

5: Some customers are just plain wrong

as this extract, from Nuts! the excellent book about Southwest Airlines, shows…

Herb Kelleher […] makes it clear that his employees come first — even if it means dismissing customers. But aren’t customers always right? “No, they are not,” Kelleher snaps. “And I think that’s one of the biggest betrayals of employees a boss can possibly commit. The customer is sometimes wrong. We don’t carry those sorts of customers. We write to them and say, ‘Fly somebody else. Don’t abuse our people.’”