Blogging About Blogging

Tia Graham, theblogsultant.com

Customer Service: The Way To My Heart

Customer Service, or rather bad Customer Service, is my ultimate peeve. I can not STAND IT when a company treats it’s users as if they were disposable. I had this frustration come to a puss-filled head this week with Verizon…they’ve been our cell provider for two years and we’ve been stuck in a crazy, ill-fitting contract for the duration. I use the phone even though my husband opened the account. They will talk nastily to me on the phone, they will take money from our joint account, but they will not let me address any account issues. When David has called them at different times, even to authorize me as a decision maker on the phone, they “have no record” of it later.

Now tell me….how many cell service providers out there are there? Why in the world do I need to be loyal to a company that treats me as if I’m a pain in their wireless behind?

When our son racked up a bill four times the usual amount, David set up a plan with them to pay every two weeks to spread our payments out. That meant TWO payments in a month. When we missed one, they shut off the phone. No warning. Just off. Hours of more-patient-than-I’d-be (David is a Customer Service Manager and is king at keeping hot situations calm) in the middle of his work day, and a reconnection fee later, it was back on. Could it all have been avoided? Yes, by talking to ME. Because the day before the shut off, Verizon called MY phone but would not speak to me, nor leave a message for David as to what the call regarded. Just, “Tell ‘im we called”. For all I knew, it could have been a stupid sales call (pet peeve number 2: sales people who come into my space rather than let me come to them) and our last payment had been just TEN DAYS earlier. We got no email, no mail correspondence. That is bad service. That is service that says, “we don’t care who you are…we’ve got thousands more where you came from.”

Oh really? Well you’ll likely soon be down one. And don’t even get me started on Dell. Their product is serving me just fine (as my Verizon phone does), but their CUSTOMER SERVICE is crap. Beyond crap. It’s agony. Okay, okay…I’ll not get started. Besides, I’ve said it before….

Today though, I had the experience a Customer Service peever loves to have. The kind of time that makes one loyal and promotive and enthusiastic for a long, long time. (You should hear trickling water and little birds singing in the background because, ah…all is right with the world and my previously ruffled feathers are smooth and lying down.) I’m not sure it can even be called “Customer Service” because I didn’t buy this product, which is a web news service. All I did was register to use it, which was incredibly easy, and saw a quick video explaining how to use it. So am I customer? I don’t know…user? client?

The company is Thoof.com. On the website it’s described as, “Thoof will show you interesting news, websites, videos, and other links, personalized to your individual tastes. Just click on the stories that interest you, and let Thoof do the rest. ” I am a professional blogger with clients who both need outlets for their writing and need material that applies to their site content. For myself, I need to stay current on what is in the news but some internet sites are a bit too gunked with ads, too young and banal for either my taste or that of my clients, or are full of stuff I can find elsewhere with a less manipulated feel to them. I tend to stay away from the mainstream media biggies and like to know what’s going on in peoples’ real world, the underground, the grassroots, and in their own words. Sites that make it easy for the individual to submit to are ripe with that kind of material and so thoof.com had my interest. That was the day paula blogged about it and within minutes, I had too.

The first thing that got my attention was that the site’s creator, Ian Clarke, replied to my post. That told me two things: first, he pays attention to who is linking to the site and second, it’s worth it to him to communicate and connect with his site’s users. I was already impressed.

Over the next few days I submitted many articles to thoof.com and many of my client’s, as I watched how the service worked. Submitting was very, very easy and user friendly; I’ve got the link in my toolbar and it takes literally less than 60 seconds to get an article into thoof’s system. Several stories on the home page were interesting and indeed, it learns what I like. As I am looking for things that apply to multiple people’s interest, this was ideal. No more sifting through the junk! If I don’t like it, I just don’t click on it. If I do, it learns and sends me more like that!

On day three I was looking around for buzz about thoof and came across this article from Techcrunch.com. In all honesty, I almost left as soon as I got there because pet peeve #3: animated movement to the side of where my focus is distracts and frustrates me and I will usually LEAVE. It’s too closely tied to peeve #2…get out of my space please. If I need you, I know where to find you. I stuck my right hand over the flashing on the right side though (ha! Take that you ads! I thumb you out…I can not see you) and hung in there. I read the following:

I have my own reasons for explaining why, so far, these sites haven’t succeeded. I think people usually want to read news and then discuss it with friends. So what is considered “interesting” is influenced by what everyone else is consuming that day. People flock to the big news sites because everyone else flocks there, too, and the niche audiences that really want personalized news aren’t enough to sustain these startups.

Maybe it’s just the red-headed, go-against-the-flow streak in me….the one that gets weary quickly of bubble-gum “what fill-in-the-blank fad” the so-called everyone else is consuming that day….this would be the one that gets nauseated over theme-chat rooms, the one who thinks highschoolers can be funny in their universal desire to be unique and rebellious in such a uniform fashion… but the idea that “everyone” wants chewed up news regurgitated ad nauseum by the mainstream press for us to hang around forums and water coolers talking about feels so… well, manufactured.

Am I then, part of a “niche audience” that will ultimately not be large enough to sustain a start up like thoof.com? I doubt that. And not too shockingly I found myself nodding enthusiastically over Ian Clarke’s idea:

Historically, news has been delivered in a one-to-many manner, meaning that lots of people tend to get the same news at the same time, but I think this is more of a bug than a feature. People don’t necessarily *want* to be shown the same stuff that everyone else is seeing, but the limitations of the technology somewhat required that this be the case. They would much rather see things that are specifically tailored to their interests, its just that either that option hasn’t existed, or it has been poorly executed.

He’s thinking outside the box here. Just because something always has been does not mean a bit that we all want it that way. It’s that kind of openness to creativity and ideas that brings us the best in this generation. It’s inventive. And, it perfectly co-incided with another box-breaker I was fixated on this week, Dr. Ron paul and his grassroots momentum. I like change. And I like those who live deliberately and are willing to try something a bit different, just to see if it can improve on what left some wanting.

So wait…this is an article about Customer Service right? And warm fuzzies from the excellent manifestation of it? Well, I’m getting there. Right around day 4 of my work with thoof.com, I started to wish I had some way to see how my submissions were doing. I send them out to the thoof universe and then what? Other than to check that my links are working well, I don’t click on my own submissions. What if others are not as well? What kind of articles are preferred by other thoof users/clients/customers?

And lo and behold, the universe heard my little thoughts I think, because voila! The thoof rank button has been born! Handy, dandy little thing that lets you know the percentage of stories yours is better than. The code is copy and paste into the bottom of the blog post; sounds every bit as simple as the registration had been, story submissions, and the entire learning curve.

And I was excited to see the feedback! One of my clients had a story with a thoofrank of 91%! Several others, my own included were over 50%. This is really good information to have in the choosing of story, title, and tag words. I got to work installing thoof rank buttons.

(snag like a needle across an old lp). Not. so. fast. I use several different wordpress templates and some of them were not liking this code at all. Whole sidebars were disappearing, and comment forms, and basically any content that was below the link. Everything was going wonky.

A removal of the code fixed things and I fired off a little question on the thoof blog. Within minutes I heard directly from Ian with concern and simple instructions.

I tried again. And again. We emailed back and forth several times and eventually I worked my way around the problem, explaining to him how I did so. They simultaneously had a wordpress expert working on it and the issue was resolved.

It’s Saturday folks. I am rare among my friends and family to be working on a balmy, 75 degree Saturday after a draining week. I doubted Ian Clarke was on the clock today. Not only was he, but so was enough of his staff to have this issue listened to, worked on, and resolved with open and available communication. I imagined rays of golden sunlight falling on his head and hordes of traffic coming his way. Does anyone think I’d have gotten that level of stellar attention from a site that sees it’s users as a homogeneous mass of mouths waiting to be fed whatever “everyone else is having”?

I think not. I heart thoof. Your golden customer service just earned you your biggest fan.

Tia Graham, blogsultant, builds, manages, and empowers business blogs that can help you generate income, improve publicity, and interact with your audience. See bloggingwithflair.com for more information.


New Site Content

My business is in it’s 6th month and I chose this time to do some restructuring, now that I have a clearer view of things. This is what I added to my site tonight:

What should a blog cost? Well, for some, and most certainly the hobby-bloggers out there, blogging is FREE. For those with time to invest and interest to learn, a blog does not have to cost anything. But what if that blog is part of your business image? What about the “expense” in having a false start? Some costs are harder to calculate than others.

If you’ve been searching the web looking for a set up, and perhaps been discouraged by some of the very expensive software packages and personal design that honestly can cost as much as a new car, you might be feeling a little hesitant to commit. It can feel overwhelming and perhaps you just need someone to guide you a bit, do the harder technical stuff while affording you time to learn and write… and that’s exactly what I offer.

My package includes:

  • purchase of a two-year domain name
  • hosting for 1 year on a secure, updated server that is very well maintained ($60/year thereafter)
  • blog set up
  • customized design
  • social networking
  • editing, tagging, linking, and image insertion on your posts…freeing you to write and not worry with these details. This has been especially helpful for busy travellers!
  • post coaching
  • weekly tips on what is hot on the internet, what words your audience is using to find you, and how you can better improve your blog and traffic
  • organic SEO on a daily basis, driving new and loyal traffic to your site
  • detailed traffic reports every month, including valuable information on your traffic make up, keywords, and sources

This is a comprehenive package designed around a basic, consistent formula for growth. IT CAN NOT FAIL and I committ myself to the success of your site, message, and product.

Benefits to you:

  • close and personal working relationship with your site’s manager giving you easy access for necessary changes and additions
  • FAST service. Nearly of my clients saw their blogs up, designed, and ready for press within a week.
  • the “fear factor” of this new endeavor is removed. You are not alone and I will do all I can to guarantee your site’s success!
  • the infrastructure is in place, both with a well designed site and well maintained server to support your growing traffic.
  • a blog personalizes you to your readership and accomplishes what a static “brochure” website can not
  • with directional techniques and an intelligent use of linking, the traffic for the aforementioned static site WILL improve, as your blog becomes a powerhouse, driving traffic where you wish it to go.

If your blog books you just ONE speech a year…wouldn’t it be worth it? For some clients, their blog will pay for itself in just 1/10th of a speech! The ability to know your audience better, to have a platform for getting word out on your product, and to gain the attention of both future listeners and employers is a valuable asset in any business.

Here are some testimonials from my clients:

“Got me from Zero to Lightspeed on Blogging in a Week. I’d procrastinated about creating a blog. Sure, I knew about all the “value” of a blog to my business, but there was so much to learn and I’m so busy with other projects. And it’s all so technical. Then I met Tia and BAM!….I was blogging. And the “value” I though I’d get from the blog was only the tip of the iceberg. I got so much more. And if it wasn’t for Tia… I’d still be at zero.” ~ Dr. Tray Dunaway, dot2dothealthcareblog.com

“Tia Graham from bloggingwithflair.com has been professional, focused,
reliable, creative AND knowledgeable when it comes to her managing my
CelebrateOneMillion.com. Much to my surprise however, Tia has offered
inspiration, patience, and has really wrapped her arms around what my
business is all about. What a breath of fresh air to have someone get as
excited about your business as you are. FIVE stars for Ms. Graham and
bloggingwithflair.com.” ~ Sheryl Lynn of Women Celebrations, celebrateonemillion.com

“With Tia’s help, my blog is much more professional looking and most
important people are reading in droves. She knows how to drive traffic to a
site, keeps me regularly updated on hot blogging topics and edits, links,
and tags my posts for me. She is an incredible asset to me.” Tim Richardson, richestpeopleinamerica.com

I like to learn new things. But the my own learning curve can’t compare with
what having an expert at blogging technical abilities from the outset. As I
now read and learn about technical issues to optimize my blog, I discover
Tia’s already got that covered. Tia is my Blog Guardian Angel who is always
looking out for me, and my business’s, best interest. Her advice and wisdom
about integrating websites and blogs is information I couldn’t get anywhere
else. Dr. Tray Dunaway, dot2dothealthcareblog.com

 

“Realizing that we could either continue at our peril to ignore the
business enhancing aspects of blogs, or do something about it, we recently
chose the later course of action. Given that we were complete idiots when
it came to both the social networking and technical parts of this medium,
the DIY approach was out. As the result of working with Tia, losing our
“blog virginity” was painless, and dare I say, fun. Though it’s still too
early to assess bottom line impact, we’re optimistic. Tune in to the
ContentedCowBlog.com and we’ll keep you posted.”

How much does this cost? Less than you may think. And, I currently have the whole thing discounted, both the package price as well as monthly management. Email me at tia AT bloggingwithflair DOT com and in a week, you’ll be blogging and soaring!

 

Tia Graham, blogsultant, builds, manages, and empowers business blogs that can help you generate income, improve publicity, and interact with your audience. See bloggingwithflair.com for more information.


New Toy to Address Amazon Associates Hurdle

I found this tonight and uploaded it on every single one of my wordpress sites tonight. The demo looks amazing; I’ll let you know what my mileage is.


Amazon Associates: A Lesson in Frustration?

One of the first methods I used on my blog Living Deliberately to make money from it was Amazon Associates. I wrote book and product reviews often enough that I thought getting click-thru’s and sales might give me some pocket change. I also have a few favorite resources that I wanted to be in the side bar long term, so I got some cg-amazon links to my Amazon account.

The grand total for the first year? Ten bucks.

Every single time I use an Amazon link, it becomes a little headache. Something has to be changed in the code, or closing /a tags inserted, or my wordpress editor prefers the link editor in the visual box over the code view box, or vise versa. As I’ve learned to look at code over the last year, it’s gotten a little easier. I still ask for help from my code-writing brother-in-law and web guru, Joel. I think he knows now that any time I want to use Amazon links, his phone will ring.

Which makes it a big time issue! I order my stuff from Amazon more often than not, preferring my goodies to arrive via that angelic UPS man rather than haul my four kiddos into a store with me. I like to support online businesses…even the big ones. I have clients, all of whom are readers and all of whom would post book reviews that link to Amazon on a regular basis. I know this has to be a resource that could be better tapped. But the frustrating minutes, that could become hours when one is inserting these links over multiple sites, is a discouragement and a poor use of time. There are many, many faster ways to make ten bucks!

I am inspired when I see posts like Paula Neal Mooney’s today, that lay her online income out there for all to see in the most honest way possible. I know there are hurdles to overcome though if I want to see an similar income directly from my blogs.

Onward.

Tia Graham, blogsultant, builds, manages, and empowers business blogs that can help you generate income, improve publicity, and interact with your audience. See bloggingwithflair.com for more information.


Thoof

Thoof: fun word without a proper dictionary definition as of yet…
“The thoof is in the pudding.”

“Thoof is stranger than fiction.”

“Thoof or dare.”

Thoof.com is also a new website, in the tradition of digg or stumble (though I love stumble for random browsing!), but without the thumbs up/down or burying system. What I think I like best is the ability to select topics and news, through use, that one likes, without the rude or stupid comments in the review process.

I’m signed up and have submitted articles from my own site; if I like it, I’ll begin doing the same for my clients. Thanks to paula for the tip in her post today.

Tia Graham, blogsultant, builds, manages, and empowers business blogs that can help you generate income, improve publicity, and interact with your audience. See bloggingwithflair.com for more information.


Time Keeps On Ticking Into The Future

These are busy days indeed. It’s been a good day for blogging; not so much time left over for blogging about blogging!

  • one site I manage, Connecting The Dots of Healthcare, made a google alert today! That was a happy way to start the morning!
  • I got my post up on Living Deliberately for the Nasty Food of the Month and just minutes later found a youtube video for an even nastier food…McDonald’s burgers and how well, they um, wait for it….age. It was a double-whammy of a monthly feature if I ever saw one!
  • I had three new client inquiries…new business is always welcome!
  • I read about lists on problogger.net and then gave it a shot on my blog for our microfarm. It was indeed, as he said, a shorter, sharper way to make a post, which after a day of bathing CATS, I was certainly ready for one!

Tia Graham, blogsultant, builds, manages, and empowers business blogs that can help you generate income, improve publicity, and interact with your audience. See bloggingwithflair.com for more information.


National Speaker’s Convention

Take a look at my sidebar and you’ll see there in the sites I manage a list of public speakers’ blogs. This week a few of them are in San Diego and from the sounds of things, having a very exciting time. They are also armed with my business cards, which is the first time they’ve been distributed on a large level, and attending classes on blogging and their industry. Already I’ve received calls directly from those picking up a card so I get to put it in the “successful idea” box between my ears. The business is Blogging With Flair and what it is a creation, customization, and management service. I’ve read for years that money can be made from blogging but until this year, I didn’t see it myself. What has occurred in the past 3 months though has resulted in a business that is empowering our financial goals and there are more ideas running through my mind than hours in the day. I stumbled upon a business that has become a catalyst for great things in my life; not often do opportunities like that happen in the road of life.

Tia Graham, blogsultant, builds, manages,  and empowers business blogs that can help you generate income, improve publicity, and interact with your audience. See bloggingwithflair.com for more information. 


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