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Earlier this week, I was working with a client who told me, “Hey, someone just came in here and told me that ‘the Internet’ says that my business isn’t licensed!”

The problem is simple enough.  He’s a small, service-oriented business that still didn’t have a web site.  The void is filled with online review sites who mention your company name enough to rank higher on a profile.  Google even buys into some of these, …one’s I’d never heard of before.

I built his site and started propagating the link when I finally found the problem post.  Google Maps buys into some review site called angieslist.com  How original.

The profile information doesn’t give up much but there is a simple field that says “Licensed: No.”  To anyone who looks at that, it suggests that this business is not legitimate.  There is no justification for their claim, nor is there any description of what they mean.  There’s a link to go to some Better Business Bureau page, but that link is broken and the domain it pointed to is gone.  Nice shot, Google.

So I looked at Angie’s List.  It claims to be a user-driven review site spearheaded by some woman named Angie Hicks,  They’re out of Indiana somewhere and claim to have been at it since 1995.  I’ve been a reporter that long and this was the first I’d heard of them.  They have a very polished video up on their site, complete with a little “shaky cam” and VH1-esque “pop-up bubbles”

I always give things a chance to work as they are supposed to.  It’s the only way to be fair.  People and companies make mistakes sometimes, We only judge them on how they recover.  So, I called the company at their phone and waited a long time to talk to someone.  They offered to help me get the listing fixed, but only if I opted in to their “free service.”  Maybe I’m too much of a purist, but I think they should help me anyway.

I’ve seen this scam before.  The trick is to collect the data from the “free service” to try to upsell you on their advertising.  Angieslist isn’t even valuable on that level because the advertising isn’t seen by anyone who hasn’t joined as a member.

When I was at the radio station, we had a different way of selling advertising.  We’d offer you a free plug of your business on the air and chat with you about it a little during our “Free Plug Friday” segment.  If was fun, it was totally open, we didn’t make you do anything but call, we didn’t collect your information or demand anything.  It was our way of giving you a “free sample” of our advertising reach in a fun segment of the show.  A fair percentage of companies that took advantage of this often called back, on their own, to inquire about buying spots on the station after they’d get feedback from our audience.  If one of our salespeople called you, it was based on their own research.

Angie’s List is different.  I feel like they’re holding my client’s reputation hostage with this.  Until I come crawling to them and offer up enough information to upsell my client some valueless services they’re going to keep posting unjustified false and misleading information.  Granted, it’s just a one-liner, but that was enough for a customer to actually mention they’d seen it, that it gave them reservations about the legitimacy of the operation.  For all of the viewers who’d seen this, we only heard from those who came in to the client’s business anyway.

Sometimes, just every once-in-a-while, the Internet is wrong.  In general I believe that a small handful of reviews sites may be credible, many are of questionable value and a few do things like this to try to make a buck.  When I see things like this, I feel compelled to call them on it.  It feels like a scam to me.  Not a huge one, but what they’re doing isn’t fair.

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…In the last year or so I’ve started teaching classes in a new Multimedia Communications department at a local university.  Richard Hart, Steve Kotton, Jan Yanehiro, and now Brian Cooley are just some of that all-star cast I get to work with again here.  I was participating in introductions for my online class and realized that I should share these insights with you as well.

——

I come from a combined tech and broadcasting background.  I started broadcasting at a college station in Santa Clara, CA and eventually made music director, which gave me a great insight into the difference between art and business.

I left the radio station for a job in the video games industry, back before it was as huge as it is now.  My job was to keep the equipment running and hack our tools as necessary to support the development team.  I would wind up at all of the electronics trade shows keeping our demonstration equipment running which gave me a constant update of the latest tech trends.  I’ve always been inspired by technology, and while staffing our company’s booth at the shows I was able to transfer that enthusiasm to the press that would come to cover the shows.  That led to a position as a nominator for the first ever Interactive Media Festival.  During that year, I traveled the world looking at some of the earliest works in the field of interactivity.  Not just on computers, but in other media like sculpture, location-based experiences, VR simulators, etc.  It was pretty incredible, especially for 1993.

When I returned from that and a handful of consulting gigs, I was hired in the early days of CNET Networks to host their television shows.  Before I hosted my own show on USA Network and Sci-Fi Channel I divided my time at the start up between television correspondent and IT technician in the rapidly-growing enterprise.  Between working on desks in every part of our company and reporting on trends and developments in the field, I was basically able to watch the birth of an industry.  News.com was two reporters in a converted space which was originally a broom closet,  I did a story with the entire staff at Yahoo.com when you could do that by getting BOTH of them into the same room.  They were really excited about the T-3 bandwidth they had just installed but weren’t going to use much of.

Richard Hart and I worked together there for a number of years there until CNET decided that television broadcasting wasn’t the business they would like to be in and moved almost completely online where all of the ad revenue was in their account rather than a broadcast barter.  I say “almost completely online” because they transferred me into Brian Cooley’s CNET Radio, a network of stations across the country on AM radio and XM Satellite.  For the next three years I hosted the middays talk show about nothing but technology and how to live with it.  Interacting with that audience was a great experience but the big takeaway is that at the end of the day, this is still media consumed by humans through their analog senses and organic brains.

My career has taken a few sharp turns as I’m sure many of yours have.  The trend I’m seeing now is that there are lots of people out there with traditional communications skills but the media they are used to presenting in is changing.

Desmond

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Some times the way a company deals with its customers says more than intended about the state of their business.  XM Sucks Image from YTMND.com

I’ve been thinking about getting rid of my XM Radio subscription for years now but I have a number of family and friends as the additional units on my account for the discount rate so I’ve held off the decision on their behalf.

Since then, the rates have gone up, my favorite channels are gone, and I can’t even listen online for free anymore and the merger with Sirius was just murdered what was left of the programming. So at least I can trim my own spare second unit from the account.

Not so easily.

If you go online to manage your account, there is no option to remove a unit, only to upgrade or change the service. To me this is just paranoia. Perhaps I bought a better receiver and I just want to make the transfer.

This is either obnoxious customer service or a feeble attempt to hang onto subscribers for the dear life of the company. Either way it’s suspicious. There’s no better way to tell what a company is about than the way they treat their customers, because after all, that’s where the money comes from.

I’ll have to phone them tomorrow morning to do this and I’m sure it’s going to be a pain. Rather than waste that phone call on just one adjustment, I’m going to end my relationship with them. It was dysfunctional anyway and my friends and family will just have to understand.

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Lately, I’ve been thinking that now would be a good time to get back on the air with my talk show again.

Right now we’re being faced with a lot of decisions about the way we survive in an information-based economy. People will be thinking more carefully about where they put their money and what services they really need to keep their mind in shape. I’ve spent a little time around the talk radio dial lately and it’s just sad, when it’s not just insulting. It’s time for someone to tell you the truth instead of telling you what to think.

I’ve resisted the podcast/online model because I don’t feel that it’s interactive enough to be interesting. There’s been some movement at major stations in my local area and I’m looking into those but I’m interested to hear your suggestions. I’d almost prefer a slightly smaller station with syndication possibilities as long as it gave everyone a chance to participate.

Society is being bombarded with media and very little of it is a wise investment of your time. It’s time to change that and I’d like your suggestions.

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In the last few months I’ve been getting some “nibbles” from different radio stations.  One of them I would even call a “bite”.  The problem that seems to always pop up is that I have never liked defining myself.  Back in the day it was easy.  I was the “B.S. Detector” at a totally obvious tech news station.  So, now that there is no “Tech Station” in existence I’m free to do the same kind of show without the tech constraints.

This whole process, to me, just points out what’s really wrong with radio, and media in general.  Everyone demands that you label yourself.  Am I a Conservative, a Liberal, Left Wing, Right Wing?  They really want to know if the conversation is to go forward.

The problem is that labels are so counter-productive, especially when the labels mean such different things to different people.   For instance, there are conservatives who aren’t fundamentalists and there are some who are.  Most people do or do not make the distinction depending on how they want to manipulate the listener.  The same thing goes for liberals, greens, etc.  They’re all just imperfect labels people use to describe each other and they are more often abused then embraced.

I decline to state.  My views are my own.  Others may agree and groups may subscribe, but my ideals were not supplied by any establishment other than my own experience.  If I’m going to be labeled, I’d rather that words like “realistic”, “pragmatic”, and maybe even “objective” come to mind.

The problem is that there’s also no such thing as  “The Objective Station, Where People Think For Themselves”

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I thought 5 minutes was pretty good until my friend told me that he knows a guy who’s actually gotten up to 74! I’m not sure I believe him, but it brought up the question, “What exactly are the rules?”

Since there’s no technological barrier to stop them and the laws against this are generally unenforceable, what can you do about it? You can play the game I’m inventing called “Grand Theft Attention”

I’m talking about dealing with chronic telemarketers.

You must be receiving an illegal telemarketing call, the details are at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/tcpa.html

If you are on the Do Not Call List, have no business relationship with the company calling you, have previously attempted to opt-out at least once, or are on your cell phone. Game On!

The odds start out stacked against you, since phone calls are cheap even from other countries. That means that the only way to level the playing field is to consume resources on a balanced level… If they’re going to waste your time, you have the right to return the favor.

The goal is to see how long you can keep the caller on the line. It’s not as easy as you think. When I first started on that single day when I received 4 unwanted phone calls I wasn’t very good at it. I tried the first things to come to mind. They hung up on “stuttering guy”, “marginal idiot”, and “Mr Please Slow Down And Say That Again”. Those were all too easy and I couldn’t break the 3 minute mark.

Other modifications to the rules include a 20% points bonus for calls to your cell phone (since it costs money)

Unfortunately, certain charity and political calls are exempt from the law and theoretically exempt from the game. But, since they hire firms to do the telemarketing who should really know better anyway do you think those calls should be allowed in the game?

What other rules would you suggest in “Grand Theft Attention?”

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Item being reviewed:
Duck Season, Vol. 3 (Instrumentals)

Duck Season, Vol. 3 (Instrumentals)

4.0 out of 5 stars This Is The One You Were Looking For., March 21, 2009
By Desmond Crisis (Treasure Island, CA) – See all my reviews

Sometimes a little determination goes a long way.

I’ll admit that I didn’t even know who Babu was when I started this. I just heard this one song on a Grey Goose Vodka commercial called “Cocktail Party” and I couldn’t get it out of my head. There’s a whole series of those so it took a while to find the right one. Somehow I found DJ Babu and saw him in action on YouTube. Really amazing. He’s a master and his ear for samples is right on. I’ll be his newest fan until you hear it.

The Song from the commercial is “Guns Gon’ Blow” but you could previously only find it as a rap tune with lyrics. What I was looking for was the jazzy instrumental. This is it. This is an instrumental version of the hip-hop/rap album and I’ve only seen it as a download here (the link to the “CD Version” goes to the lyrics version, look out.)

I like the album but I just bought the one track. I would have bought the whole album but they still demand that you use the downloader application for full albums. It’s not an option for me as my Windows 2000 (which I still prefer) isn’t supported! They refuse to sell an album and let you individually download the tracks. They need to fix that, it shouldn’t be a big deal to do.

That aside, this is a nice collection of mostly soulful, downtempo beats, well-selected and presented by my new favorite “Turntablist.” It’s the perfect thing for your rooftop, word of mouth, no guest list, cocktail party.

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In my life, there are a few moments I would consider as “mileposts.”

Recently, an old friend that I hadn’t seen much in the last twenty years passed away. He was a definitive person, talented, and with such a unique personality that while many of my memories faded, I always remembered who he was and why he was special. When I bumped into him at a party a couple of years ago, it was a great feeling to know that he was still there, and I should have followed up on it. I’m envious of his friends who remained close because he really was a great guy and they were able to enjoy him more. I love hearing their stories but wish I’d had more of my own to share.

As I was growing up, I never really felt like I belonged to any particular group. My group of friends in grade school just defied any particular description. Most of them held together through middle school but I moved away for just one year and when I came back had no idea where I belonged.

High school was full of more defined groups and identities and I suppose I was looking for that. I wound up identifying with a group that was arguably the most visible.

Since then I’ve done a lot of things, been a lot of places, and met whole lot of people.

I don’t remember as much from high school as I thought I would. You could say that we had a strained relationship. Unfortunately, it seems to remember me all too well and there are many things I hope it forgives me for.

On Wednesday, I had an unusual opportunity. The group of friends who are basically the evolution of my friends from grade school (some subtracted, many added) were gathered together. The first thing that struck me was that I was having a really hard time recognizing people. Since I’d moved out of town twenty years ago and hadn’t been back much I had too few memories of these people between graduation and now. Aside from Facebook I had no connecting images of them and in twenty years, people can change.

What didn’t change was their personalities and I’m grateful for that on many levels. I learned many things that I hadn’t expected to on that day. I refreshed my memory of what great people they are, articulate, smart, caring, and full of personality. Each one unique but as a group even more so. I found myself chatting with people that I hadn’t identified as my closest friends in school and feeling like they actually were, even twenty years later. Either I had just been away too long and forgotten or I’d misplaced my identity back then, I’m not sure.

What I do know is that these opportunities are far too rare and they often come at too high a price. It’s unfortunate that we wait until we are forced to come together rather than find ways to make it happen. Social networking has effectively removed the excuses for not reconnecting.

I just hope that it’s not too late for the rest of us, that we don’t wait for the next necessity to bring us together.

Because the identity I never knew I was so proud of is still …”a friend of Dan.”

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I’m willing to guess that most of us use http://www.woot.com just because it’s fun. We don’t really NEED any of this carp otherwise we’d go out and buy it. It’s just a little thrill that we feel like we’re onto something special and it pumps the blood a little.
That’s why I tried a little wooting including this Sansa e250 2GB Media Player. That was about 10 days ago, the site says that it still hasn’t shipped.

Sure it was fun ordering and I felt like one of the cool kids but each day that goes by I’m thinking YTF did I order a 2GB player?

So now the thrill is gone and the irritation isn’t at all worth it.  I’m not likely to do it again.

I ‘get’ the concept of a low-maintenance, low-support service. But sometimes when something out-of-the-ordinary is going on, a little message to us would dull the pain.

We don’t really need this stuff and the thrill is gone. I’m done.

Update: 12/09/2008
The little player showed up today and it’s kinda neat.  Probably worth the price I paid for it but not the wait for shipping.  I hope Woot isn’t always this slow.  As for the player, the Sansa is a little difficult to load and really wants to see the latest Windows XP and Media Player 10.  You can download a converter utility which seems to be able to handle most formats.  The interesting thing is that the output file is rotated 90 degress for the Sansa screen.
It came with all of the cables but without the retail packaging, which was no surprise since I knew I was buying a refurb unit.  What was a surprise is that the player has an indelible stamp on the metal casing in huge letters “REFURB”.  That, I didn’t expect.  A removable sticker so that a buyer isn’t fooled would have been fine but the permanent imprint seemed excessive.
I’ve been buying a lot of refurb electronics lately and I’ve been happy with the deals I’ve been getting but occasionally there’s something you wouldn’t expect.
As for Woot, all of the items I ordered are here now, finally.  Both of them took forever.  Of course, they arrived just in time for a Woot-Off, where the items for sale rotate quickly.  So the addiction continues and I’ve been looking again.  So far nothing has been too tempting, but I’ve been enjoying the concept of “Retail Entertainment”

…Maybe there will be a “Random Bag O’ Crap”

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Sometimes the problems I have are pretty unique.

My carrier is fine and there are still enough friends who use Push to Talk that I’ll miss it, but the company seems really focused on the PCS side of their network as far as data goes.  I like the phones and service they have for PCS and I’d switch to get the data services I want but the PCS coverage doesn’t reach my house.  To be fair, I’m in an unusual location that is centered in-between a large number of cells.  Only certain carriers can reach it.

So I’ve started shopping for a phone again.  For all of the effort I have gone through to try and understand how these plans work and what the phone will actually do with them I feel like the phone should ship with a postgraduate degree in the box.

One way to start is by picking out the phone…  The easiest way is to identify it by group.  There’s phones, smartphones, and PDA’s.  They’re all different.  Some “phone” phones will get email and do some web browsing within the confines of the carrier.  Real web browsing, not so much.  They’ll do email in some cases, but all carriers seem to handle that differently.  Some have email compatibility through text messaging (called SMS by some, MMS by others.  So far the only difference I can work out is that the MMS can handle attachments, other than that they seem to be the same.)

The “Smartphone” may have more of a browser, or do video, or have a calendar you can sync but I’ve never felt like I understood how “smart” a “smartphone” is.  Since all of the models are different it’s nearly impossible to tell.

The PDA-phone makes more just a little more sense but makes of for that in new questions.The operating system is usually a known-quantity like windows mobile but some “WinMo” phones have a shortened feature set, most commonly they might let you view files like word and excel documents, but they won’t let you create new ones (the Motorola Q does this, it was dissapointing.)

The next consideration is the price.  I’m pretty cheap and I typically buy behind the curve.  As much as I’d like the latest thing, I’m usually happy with the thing from 6 months ago isf the price its right.  A fringe-benefit of this is that most of the bugs are usually worked out by then or at least they’re well-know and written about.  The biggest difference  between this generation and the last is that everyone is trying to make an iPhone-killer.  I don’t really care so much if it looks like an iPhone or even is an iPhone as long as it does what I want.

What do you look for and how do you find it?

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