Oh, Randy Quaid. I loved you so much as Loomis and Cousin Eddie. But your life has gotten so weird and sad.
Monthly Archives: December 2010
The truth is out there. On the internet.
You should know by now that Butterscotch Sundae is all about the bandwagons. There’s another one all the cool kids are doing that I thought I’d hop aboard. It’s called the “30 days of truth,” in which you answer a bunch of prompts. And I think there’s supposed to be crying and self-realization and maybe a pilgrimage at the end.
I don’t know where this originated, but I do know there are some prompts in there that I’m not going to be entirely comfortable answering. I’ll try not to be jokey about them, but no promises. Here are the prompts:
Day 01 → Something you hate about yourself.
Day 02 → Something you love about yourself.
Day 03 → Something for which you have to forgive yourself.
Day 04 → Something for which you have to forgive someone.
Day 05 → Something you hope to do in your life.
Day 06 → Something you hope you never have to do.
Day 07 → Someone who has made your life worth living for.
Day 08 → Someone who made your life unpleasant.
Day 09 → Someone you didn’t want to let go but just drifted.
Day 10 → Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.
Day 11 → Something people seem to compliment you the most on.
Day 12 → Something you never get compliments on.
Day 13 → A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough days. (write a letter.)
Day 14 → A hero that has let you down. (letter)
Day 15 → Something or someone you couldn’t live without, because you’ve tried living without it.
Day 16 → Someone or something you definitely could live without.
Day 17 → A book you’ve read that changed your views on something.
Day 18 → Your views on gay marriage.
Day 19 → What do you think of religion? Or what do you think of politics?
Day 20 → Your views on drugs and alcohol.
Day 21 → (scenario) Your best friend is in a car accident and you two got into a fight an hour before. What do you do?
Day 22 → Something you wish you hadn’t done in your life.
Day 23 → Something you wish you had done in your life.
Day 24 → Make a playlist to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs. (Just post the titles and artists and letter)
Day 25 → The reason you believe you’re still alive today.
Day 26 → Have you ever thought about giving up on life? If so, when and why?
Day 27 → What’s the best thing going for you right now?
Day 28 → What if you were pregnant or got someone pregnant, what would you do?
Day 29 → Something you hope to change about yourself. And why.
Day 30 → A letter to yourself, tell yourself EVERYTHING you love about yourself
I probably won’t try to do it all in 30 days, but feel free to give me a nudge or something if the posts aren’t coming quickly enough for your liking. Tomorrow (probably), tune in for Something I Hate About Myself. That sounds like a barrel of virus-infected monkeys, now doesn’t it?
Twitter makes customer service a little easier to stomach
I’m currently trying to get DSL service from AT&T, and it hasn’t been the World’s Smoothest Experience. The 
activation date was supposed to be Nov. 24th, but it still isn’t working. I called the tech support telephone number on Monday, and they told me they would put in a ticket. Which would take about 72 hours to process, so try calling back Thursday, thanks, have a swell day.
I’m not all that patient, so yesterday after I got a little twitchy about the whole thing, I decided to see if AT&T had a customer service presence on Twitter. And lo and behold: They do. I sent a message to @ATTCustomerCare, and a few hours later a poor AT&T guy came out in the deluge to check things out. It kind of felt like instant gratification, which isn’t something I experience very often in the world of customer service. The problem still isn’t fixed, but I just got a call from them telling me what they’re currently doing with the issue. It’s nice to be kept in the loop, at the very least.
So Twitter didn’t solve my problem altogether, but it did open another line of communication and get a few extra people involved in solving my service issue. AT&T isn’t the only company using Twitter to field service issues, either. The really savvy ones are keeping an eye out for mentions of their company, and they’re reaching out to people who’ve had a problem.
A few companies that are actively engaged on Twitter:
Delta Airlines, @DeltaAssist. AllState Insurance, @Allstate. DirecTV, @DirecTV. Maytag, @MaytagCare. Marriott Hotels, @MarriottIntl.
From here on out, I’ll check to see whether a company has a Twitter presence before I call the customer service phone line. The Twitter teams seem to be pretty small, which leads to a more personal experience. It might not mean your issue gets solved any faster, but at least it feels a little less corporate.
Have you had a great customer service experience via social media? Let’s hear about it.