So, according to my dashboard thingy, this piece of text constitutes my 100th blog post. I think it's quite safe to assume everyone guessed that from the title. It's pretty certain I've written a few more than that, including some I've discarded as being rubbish (oh yes, even worse than some of the tripe I've clicked publish on, imagine how bad they were!), I distinctly remember one I wrote in borderline anger and then deleted before I accidentally clicked said publish button, but this is number 100 that is publicly viewable and at least, and possibly at most, 4 people will read.
I'll be honest, I expected nobody on this planet to read the crap that I decided to type in, typically on dodgy public transport (bus has only hit 1 curb this morning and slammed on breaks once, good day, but then again we're only half way there) or when I couldn't sleep at some god forsaken hour in the morning. (Just hit 2nd curb, a roundabout approach too!). But it hasn't been the view free zone I expected, I'm not going to pretend I get thousands of hits, as obviously I don't, it's a personal blog and a shoddily written one at that. But I've had a couple of thousand and I'm quite happy with that! (No, that doesn't include me looking at my own, it doesn't count that).
I've used it to air a couple of short stories I've written, I have more but lack the nuts to make them public, I also have a longer one I haven't finished, but let's be real, chances are it's crap and I'm pretty damn sure it'll never see the light of day. Actually thinking about it I doubt I'll ever actually finish it, probably for the best! If anyone wants to see a story so far version... tough.
I've used it to vent opinions, I've used it to rant (usually fair enough I'm sure most people will agree, I do enjoy a good 'go-off-on-one' but someone has to wind me up first), I've used it to try n be funny. For the next 100 posts, if I get that far, chances are I'll do exactly the same.
I will publish the script, along with a link to the video of a recent presentation myself and a colleague wrote in the style of star trek, it was highly classy. It's on youtube now (Star Trek - Revenge of the Tribbles) but It'll be better all in one place I feel. I'll get a copy later.
I'll leave you with a proper blast from the past, here be a link to the first thing I ever posted. I steal from Red Dwarf, Anchorman and have a dig at facebook (setting the pattern early then). Not exactly inspiring and the 2nd post was better and I've been much funnier since... on a relative scale (3rd curb and a sharp brake). But it brought a cheesy grin back to me face for a second:
http://andrewdrisc.blogspot.com/2010/09/end.html
You stay classy Internet.
Showing posts with label Blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blog. Show all posts
Wednesday, 14 September 2011
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Blogging
Wow a blog about blogging, that's never been done before...
It has struck me the whole blogging process is an unusual one, a blog is essentially an area where anyone an express any (well nearly any) opinion some anyone else to read. But the question is, who reads mine? I know some people who know me read this (Hi guys!!) but what about the rest of the peeps out there? Do they stumble in, find it boring and leave, do they find it interesting and come back? Of the couple of hundred or so reads I've had, are they all unique? Do I have regulars?
All questions I'll never really know the answer too, and I kind of like it that way. If I knew certain people read I may become paranoid about what I write. Could you risk expressing dissatisfaction about work if you thought your boss would read it? Would you slag your neighbours if they might stumble across your rant while searching for Alan Titchmarsh hints on bing?
To look at this I thought about the way I read others blogs, and to be honest my first thought was I rarely do. Usually I'll randomly come across one and read while searching for a topic on google, but I've never subscribed/followed. So why would I expect anyone to do any more for me?
Truth is I don't, I find writing these blogs quite relaxing and would carry on if I never had another hit again (blog hit, I've never had a hit single). If I wanted to rapidly increase the volume of readers I'd put the link on Facebook, but no I can't see that happening, I doubt all my 'friends' would get what I write, some would don't get me wrong but Facebook friends and real friends regularly don't add up. Well maybe once just to see what would happen, I'll wait til I write something more interesting first though. Maybe do something different, like.. a sing-along blog... all together now, "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do... don't plan the plan if..." no? OK for the best.
But I do wonder, how many people out there write blogs for fun, enjoyment etc and how many do it for attention? Obviously both types exist, that's human nature as Jacko once sang. Do people use this type of stuff to try and get chances in media? Could that ever happen?
Primarily I think the world of blogging is a wild and varies one and something that will always be enjoyable to me. Far more enjoyable than the shambles of a football (soccer) side my country turns out. Beat 4-1 by Switzerland, that's an awfully attacking display for such a neutral country!!
Anyway, until the moro peeps.
It has struck me the whole blogging process is an unusual one, a blog is essentially an area where anyone an express any (well nearly any) opinion some anyone else to read. But the question is, who reads mine? I know some people who know me read this (Hi guys!!) but what about the rest of the peeps out there? Do they stumble in, find it boring and leave, do they find it interesting and come back? Of the couple of hundred or so reads I've had, are they all unique? Do I have regulars?
All questions I'll never really know the answer too, and I kind of like it that way. If I knew certain people read I may become paranoid about what I write. Could you risk expressing dissatisfaction about work if you thought your boss would read it? Would you slag your neighbours if they might stumble across your rant while searching for Alan Titchmarsh hints on bing?
To look at this I thought about the way I read others blogs, and to be honest my first thought was I rarely do. Usually I'll randomly come across one and read while searching for a topic on google, but I've never subscribed/followed. So why would I expect anyone to do any more for me?
Truth is I don't, I find writing these blogs quite relaxing and would carry on if I never had another hit again (blog hit, I've never had a hit single). If I wanted to rapidly increase the volume of readers I'd put the link on Facebook, but no I can't see that happening, I doubt all my 'friends' would get what I write, some would don't get me wrong but Facebook friends and real friends regularly don't add up. Well maybe once just to see what would happen, I'll wait til I write something more interesting first though. Maybe do something different, like.. a sing-along blog... all together now, "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do... don't plan the plan if..." no? OK for the best.
But I do wonder, how many people out there write blogs for fun, enjoyment etc and how many do it for attention? Obviously both types exist, that's human nature as Jacko once sang. Do people use this type of stuff to try and get chances in media? Could that ever happen?
Primarily I think the world of blogging is a wild and varies one and something that will always be enjoyable to me. Far more enjoyable than the shambles of a football (soccer) side my country turns out. Beat 4-1 by Switzerland, that's an awfully attacking display for such a neutral country!!
Anyway, until the moro peeps.
Monday, 11 October 2010
Complaining - The only way to get your way?
Firstly, I've been a very lazy blogger. I've let things such as no Internet and doing lots of work on a house stop me!! Honestly where are my priorities!
As people who have read one of my earlier blogs would know, I've had some trouble with the ISP for my previous address, namely Plusnet. All those who give a damn will now love to hear I have cancelled with them, by avoiding their ludicrous cancellation rules. How did I do this? I complained that's how!
This lead me to think, I've dealt with numerous companies over the years, and they seem to have vastly varying levels of service. When I've come across the worst of this service and they refuse to do even the most basic of reasonable requests, I've gone straight through to complain.
My question is, should it be that way?
Why do basic service level employees of some companies stick so rigidly to obstructive practices? Personally I don't blame them, a human can only act within the freedom they're given and in the majority of companies I'm talking about, common sense and free thought is not encouraged.
Plus net are an example (sorry to bang on) their staff could have solved my problem in 20 seconds with a quick phone call, but they refused. Eventually their complaints manager (James Bailey, very helpful man) solved the situation with a 20 second call. Could not somebody at another level have already done this, they prob spent longer than that writing my response telling me they couldn't call. They wasted their time, my time writing the complaint and the Complaint Managers time looking into it and contacting me.
A bit of common sense at the start and things would have been done much much faster.
There must be 1000's of examples every day where customers have to complain about blatantly unfair procedures to get any joy. If companies a) treated their staff as things other than trained monkeys or b) considered the customer over whatever obstructive procedure was in the way in the first place they'd be more efficient and maybe they'd have happier customers.
Of course, there are financial benefits in being disruptive, if someone knowingly overcharged 50,000 customers and only 20,000 complain, they've made the extra on 30,000. Which very well may make any costs involved in handling the 20,000 complaints worthwhile. For example, if they delay had taken me into an new month with Plusnet, they'd have pocketed my £15 happily.
My advice, take nothing that seems unfair as read, kick up a fuss and you may get some joy. I've done the complaint handlers job before, and if most companies are like my employers, once it gets to complaint, the staff have the freedom to make fair decisions and the desire to do so also.
TTFN - Expect another post later, I'm brimming with ideas today!
As people who have read one of my earlier blogs would know, I've had some trouble with the ISP for my previous address, namely Plusnet. All those who give a damn will now love to hear I have cancelled with them, by avoiding their ludicrous cancellation rules. How did I do this? I complained that's how!
This lead me to think, I've dealt with numerous companies over the years, and they seem to have vastly varying levels of service. When I've come across the worst of this service and they refuse to do even the most basic of reasonable requests, I've gone straight through to complain.
My question is, should it be that way?
Why do basic service level employees of some companies stick so rigidly to obstructive practices? Personally I don't blame them, a human can only act within the freedom they're given and in the majority of companies I'm talking about, common sense and free thought is not encouraged.
Plus net are an example (sorry to bang on) their staff could have solved my problem in 20 seconds with a quick phone call, but they refused. Eventually their complaints manager (James Bailey, very helpful man) solved the situation with a 20 second call. Could not somebody at another level have already done this, they prob spent longer than that writing my response telling me they couldn't call. They wasted their time, my time writing the complaint and the Complaint Managers time looking into it and contacting me.
A bit of common sense at the start and things would have been done much much faster.
There must be 1000's of examples every day where customers have to complain about blatantly unfair procedures to get any joy. If companies a) treated their staff as things other than trained monkeys or b) considered the customer over whatever obstructive procedure was in the way in the first place they'd be more efficient and maybe they'd have happier customers.
Of course, there are financial benefits in being disruptive, if someone knowingly overcharged 50,000 customers and only 20,000 complain, they've made the extra on 30,000. Which very well may make any costs involved in handling the 20,000 complaints worthwhile. For example, if they delay had taken me into an new month with Plusnet, they'd have pocketed my £15 happily.
My advice, take nothing that seems unfair as read, kick up a fuss and you may get some joy. I've done the complaint handlers job before, and if most companies are like my employers, once it gets to complaint, the staff have the freedom to make fair decisions and the desire to do so also.
TTFN - Expect another post later, I'm brimming with ideas today!
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