12.31.2009

Bai 2009!

The last year has been NUTS! It's been non-stop since I started the twitter gig at work. Ya'll keep me pretty busy :) I can honestly say the up's outnumber the down's this year, and that's a good thing! I hope that the same can be said with you. I wanted to put down on "paper" all of the great and bad things in my life, because you all help me through it every day! For that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Even if you're there to yell at me at first, your kind words and encouragement... and snarkyness... make the days go by quicker, and give me the motivation to keep going.

This year, the following things sucked:

  • Broke up with BF of 3 years in March
  • Had to give my poor cat back to the shelter (medical issues)
  • Lived with said ex and 2 other guys until August (oh my, drama)
  • My Indoor Color Guard disbanded (instructor left us :( )
  • all of the nutty issues from buying my house
  • all of the nutty issues AFTER buying the house
  • all of the nutty issues in this past WEEK
  • Docsis 3.0 (not anymore!)
This year, the following things rocked:
  • I was in the NEW YORK TIMES (how freaking cool is that???)
  • I've met multiple awesome people, both at work and outside of work
  • My Indoor Guard Girls took 1st place in their region, and 2nd place at Championships! (after 8 years of being dead last every show!)
  • I BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!! (c'mon, that's pretty good for age 24!)
  • Docsis 3.0 (yeah, it's all sorts of hot now)
  • Helped well over 3,000 people directly, and thousands more indirectly
  • Bringing change to a company that is ready for some shakin' up
  • Discovered very important things about me that finally have explanations (yay a.d.d.!)
  • Helping YOU.
As of posting this, I will have 44,519 public tweets, over 10k DM's, over 3k followers since January. It's been a fun ride, and I'm hoping the next year brings even more awesomeness! New challenges, new issues, new fixes, new people to help... To that I say:

BRING IT ON, 2010!!!

12.30.2009

Whoa what?

So, I was reading Consumerist.com today and noticed a post about an unfortunate experience between a customer and his modem/us. The insanity that happened here is going to probably end up popping up more and more often as we transition away from legacy devices and focus on the cool new stuff (D3!). Here is the link to the page with the information about the WHY

A few things that are helpful to know about the upgrade process:

  • DOCSIS 1.0 and 1.1 modems are the only devices needing to be upgraded
  • If you have a DOCSIS 2.0 modem, you're fine (unless you want super speeds)
  • If you have a DOCSIS 3.0 modem, you're fine
  • This does NOT apply to every region. If you have an EOL modem, you should receive notice via snail mail and/or email. We are doing this area by area, and I do not have a schedule of who's going to do this when. Don't freak out, just be prepared for the future! Plenty of notice for the bulk of you reading this.

A VERY HANDY PDF from CableLabs
This lists all cable modems (and EMTA's, but we're not talking about them) that CableLabs has certified.
On the left side, it will state D1.0 D1.1 D2.0 D3.0. If it does NOT say D2.0 or D3.0 on the left, then your modem is not up to spec! Please note, this list does NOT mean these are OK on our network, but rather certified by the CableLabs folks. You can check to see if a modem is cool with us here.

If you're a customer leasing your modem from us, you can request a new modem using live chat, calling up, or visiting your friendly local comcast office (make sure they do equipment, though!).

If you OWN your modem and it is on the EOL list, you will need to lease a new device from us or purchase a new one. Suggestions I've been giving people are SB6120 (Motorola), DPC3000 (Scientific Atlanta), and U10C035 (Ubee/Ambit). These are ALL Docsis 3.0 modems. I figure, if you're going to drop the cash on a new modem, might as well make it one you won't have to upgrade for a long time. Remember to check the compatible equipment list before buying a modem! (I have not been paid to recommend anything. These are what we use.)

After all of this is said and done, you will need to call us to activate your equipment. If you bought a new modem, you will also need to give us the cable mac/HFC mac address and/or customer serial number from the device.


12.24.2009

I like to say awesome... a lot. Fair warning.



12.09.2009

Another day, another blog post, another cool thing to share with you guys!

We've soft launched (haven't made a big deal, basically) our new Comcast Secure Backup & Share service for our customers.

This is cool for those of you who need to put something 2gb and under "somewhere". Portable apps, maybe some pictures you wanted to share, documents, whatever! Here's some of the specifics from what I've been told so far:

Comcast Secure Backup and Share is an easy, secure, and reliable way to back up and share all of your important files. Now, you can access your files from anywhere with an Internet connection for easy sharing. You can download the Comcast Secure Backup and Share application and have convenient access to the Comcast Vault. Components of solution include:

    1. Comcast Secure Backup & Share PC application – downloaded to the PC during product registration. Used to backup files and restore files. Application can be downloaded on multiple PCs so that files from each computer can be backed up.

    2. Comcast Vault – Secure Online storage of backed up files. You can access their Comcast Vault through any Internet Connection for downloading or sharing.

Comcast Secure Backup & Share features include:

  • Automatic backup can be scheduled
  • Bandwidth throttling and block level incremental backups
  • A secure online backup and storage utility
  • An easy upload and retrieval mechanism
  • Remote access to your files from any internet connection
  • Ability to share content from the vault to family and friends
Product Requirements
  • Comcast High-Speed Internet subscription – Primary account must complete registration
  • 133 MHz processor
  • 64 MB RAM
  • Windows 2000, XP, Vista SP1 or SP2, or Windows 7
  • Either Internet Explorer 7 or later, Firefox 3.0 or later
  • (No word on when there will be Mac support, sad to say!!!)

Accessibility
  • You must be a Primary High-Speed internet subscriber to purchase the service.
  • After purchase is made, any secondary can download the product. A secondary UID’s backed up content will contribute to overall storage purchased by primary, though the files will be stored in your own private vault.
  • Each UID can download CSB&S desktop application to multiple PCs
  • Due to copyright concerns, music files can be backed up, but not shared.

12.08.2009



I had the cool opportunity over the weekend to be a tech for a day. It is something I had been meaning to do for awhile, but never had the time. I was in Cape Cod for the weekend visiting folks, and one of them happens to be a technician for Comcast. I had nothing better to do until they were done working for the day, so I tagged along and finally got some field tech time.


Some of you may have seen the tweets on Saturday. Here's the low-down!

We didn't start the day at this location, which is both a satellite office for the techs and a payment center. Saw the OLD payment center next to it... huge improvement :)



i'm at a customer's house doing a triple play install. of course two gigantic black labs are helping :) Having fun with punch blocks... which really aren't that much fun to be honest...
First install finished! Next job involves finding out where a customer's dialtone ran off to. Comcast ninja skillz activate!
Next up: Ooooh triple play install with home networking! Should be tons of fun (no really!) (waiting for the test call to confirm service is working)


last job for the day, fixing some phone wiring to restore said rogue dialtone from earlier then done! Alas, poor missing dialtone. We knew you well. Everyone should hug their next tech... they probably need it. This isn't an easy job!

This is so true. It was raining hard, 40 degrees, never know what you're getting yourself into when you go to the next job... every house is different. Every job is a new challenge. I definitely gained a bit more insight into the field tech's day (this was a SLOW day, fyi), and how tough it can be. Gotta say, I slept like a baby that night!

11.25.2009

Gobble Gobble

I really felt it necessary to write a post about Thanksgiving this year. While listening to 93.3 (WMMR), Pierre was discussing how Thanksgiving is the "no stress" holiday. Why? No pressure of gift-giving, no worrying about who should get what. It is simply a time to spend with your family and friends and stuff your faces until you fall asleep.

What really stuck out, though, was the significance of giving thanks for what we have this year. Sure, we're all thankful for what we have going on in our lives... but this has been a VERY difficult year for a lot of folks. I see this reflected in my line of work everyday. Folks are being laid off*, money is tight, houses are being lost, food is not being had, life has been thrown into survival mode for a lot of people.

SO... I want to give thanks this year for all of the amazing things happening in my life. I'm thankful for my job, no matter how crazy it gets. I'm thankful for you, my Customers, for putting a smile on my face every day (even you grumpypants folks). I'm thankful for friends and family who have really stepped up to the plate after the unfortunate breakup earlier this year. I'm thankful for the opportunity to own a house (this still blows my mind), and the AWESOME advice a lot of you gave me. I'm thankful for my stinkybutt dog, Mylo, even if he is being bad right now.

But honestly, the thing I'm thankful for the most? Having the ability to help all of you. We've come a long way in this company in regards to this very important topic. We're working hard to improve the customer service you receive over the phone, chat, and every other avenue imaginable. It's difficult to break old habits, and I'm sure a lot of you can relate to this. The job I do is just a small cog in the bigger machine of change happening across the company. I genuinely love helping each and every one of you (if I didn't, I probably would have quit due to insanity a LONG time ago), and I want ALL of you to know that I'm thankful for YOU.

Thanks for keeping me sane during moments of insanity. Thanks for being understanding when insanity turns into chaos. Thanks for gently poking me when I forget to do something. Thanks for being there. I'll always be there for you :)

So when you enjoy your meal tomorrow (or enjoy whatever it is you're doing), take a moment to look around at what you have going for you... and give thanks for that. Oh yeah, and to make sure this post isn't TOO serious... here's the video of me being the turkey whisperer.


*For those of you who have lost their jobs, please check out http://careers.comcast.com for our job postings. We're all over the place, and have a lot of jobs that require talent from people like you!

11.17.2009

(I was originally going to post this back in September. Oops!)

Since the new school year has begun, let's learn some fun stuff about your internet connection and how to fix it! Prepare to amaze and awe your neighbors, family, and friends who will suddenly deem you as their tech support person :)

OK, class! Let’s begin…

Today, we’ll start off our fun learning series with the simple stuff. When I see problems, the very first thing I'll ask is: Have you reset your modem? If the answer is yes, then I'll ask: Do you have a router? This isn't because I'm trying to blame any particular piece of equipment. You'd be amazed at how many times a router will get "out of sync" with a modem, and vice versa. To fix this…

1. pull the power from both the modem and the router
2. Next, plug the power into the modem ONLY.
3. Wait for the lights on the front to calm down. On Motorola modems, you need four SOLID green lights. (Scientific Atlanta/Webstar needs a SOLID cable light. RCA modems need the Cable Link and Internet light SOLID. If you have a modem not listed here, chances are you bought it or it’s an end of life modem and should be replaced)
4. Once this is done, go ahead and plug the power back into your router and wait for it to finish up it's startup sequence.

Easy enough, right? If you’re still unable to connect, try moving on to the slightly more complicated steps below.

For a direct connection to the modem:

* PC’s: Go to “Network Connections” in your Control Panel. Right mouse click on “Local Area Connection” and click Status. Click the Support tab in this window, and check the IP address.
* Macs: Finder>Applications>System Utilities>Network Utility This will display your current IP address.
* Does the IP start with 169.254? If so, your computer is not getting a connection from the modem and you should probably give us a call. If you see 192.168, you’re connected to a router, have your IP set static, or something else is going on with the modem. Again, something you might want to call us up about.

For connections using a router:

* Make sure your router is obtaining an IP address by going to its home page at http://192.168.1.1 (login required in most cases). You should be able to check on the router's status page and see if you are getting an IP. If you see a 169.254.xxx.xxx address, your router is not connecting to the modem. This could mean that it was not powered on in the right order OR the modem is not assigning IP's.
* Make sure your computer is receiving an IP address from the router by following the steps above. A 192.168.x.x of 10.x.x.x address should show. If not, your router has a problem!
* Make sure you’re connected to your own wireless network. I get more of this than most people think. Be sure to put your wireless network as top priority over others in your network preferences.

For the super geeks out there:

Speaking of modem's not handing out IP's... I see this little problem all the time. The geeks out there seem to notice this the most, and take extraordinary measures to correct the problem. I'll see folks spoofing their MAC Addresses to get the modem to talk to the equipment on the other end. Guess what? You don't need to do that :) ANY TIME you connect something in to your modem, you will need to reset the modem. Otherwise, it will still consider the original device connected, and hence refuse to work with the new device. Easy fix, right? Make sure you’re not overlooking the basics above, since it’s easy to forget the most obvious things sometimes. I once troubleshot a modem for well over an hour, and then discovered it was in standby. The lights on the modem will tell you a lot about what’s going on.

I hope this gives you a little insight into the basics of troubleshooting. Next week, we’ll move on to checking out your internet signal from the comfort of your own home :)

Got a topic I should cover? Let me know in the comments! Got a question about any of the stuff above? Ask away! Let’s keep comments about the lessons on-topic, so we can all chirp in about each thing :)

10.06.2009

The SUN?!

It's that wonderful time of year again where the leaves change colors, the temperature gets cooler, the cable goes out because of the sun... wait, what?

Yes folks, it's Sun Outage time. It happens a few times a year, and can seriously mess with your cable! Here's the low-down:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A sun outage is an interruption in or distortion of geostationary satellite signals caused by interference from solar radiation. The effect is due to the sun's radiation overwhelming the satellite signal. Generally, sun outages occur in February, March, September and October, that is, around the time of the equinoxes. At these times, the apparent path of the sun across the sky takes it directly behind the line of sight between an earth station and a satellite. As the sun radiates strongly at the microwave frequencies used to communicate with satellites (C-band and Ku band) the sun swamps the signal from the satellite. The effects of a sun outage can include partial degradation, that is, an increase in the error rate, or total destruction of the signal.




Here's some info for the techy people out there from the HITS Satellite page:

Twice each year, the sun is positioned directly in line with the ground-based satellite dish antennas used to receive CATV programming. This positioning causes programming interruptions as the sun’s energy overpowers the C and Ku band signals transmitted by the satellites.

When the HITS Quantum digital signal is interrupted by the sun’s energy, the set top converter displays “One Moment Please” on the affected channel(s). This condition will be present for several minutes each day during the sun outage period, which lasts for several days. Because the HITS receives some of the programming used in the HITS lineup via satellite, some HITS programming services will be lost twice during this period as HITS experiences receive outages.



So, folks... Keep this in mind if you experience blips in your cable network programming!We're not making it up!

9.11.2009

Today is a day none of us will forget. It's something that may have hit you close to home, or something you only saw the effects and horror on the tv. For me, this day marked the single biggest day in my life. I can honestly say that when those planes hit the towers, every bit of that childhood innocence I had left was gone. Up until that moment in my life, nothing in my life had such impact on the way I viewed the world.

Maybe you think I'm going a little overboard, but you have to put this in context a bit. It was the first week of my senior year in high school and I was 16 (going on 17, for real). The only war in my life was Desert Storm, and that was when I was in elementary school. The only "terrorists" I knew of were those guys with issues that bombed the building in Oklahoma City. So, when something of this magnitude happened, it wasn't anything I had ever fathomed happening. I'm sure you think the same thing, depending on your life.


So today, on the 8th anniversary of 9/11, I pause to remember those who lost their lives in all three locations where these tragedies happened. I mourn the loss of the first responders who dove in head first, not even blinking at the risk in front of them. I remember sitting there in 3rd period art class hearing whispers from classmates about a plane crashing into the World Trade Center. I remember the teacher turning on ABC, and a minute later the next plane hitting the other tower. Right then and there, we knew this was no accident. There was something else going on, and we were all sitting there jaws dropped and terrified.

And then... they fell.

They fell, and I fell. On the floor. Crying hysterically.

@gbrunett, my cousin, and one of the most influential geeks in my life (beside my Grandfather), worked on the 25th floor. I had been there only months before visiting his office and the city for the first time. I still have my WTC guest pass ID in my wallet. The teacher wouldn't let me use my cell phone to call my mother. The woodshop teacher next door let me use his phone, but I could not get through. I tried calling my aunts, uncles, and anyone I could think of who would know if he was ok. The lines were jammed, the whole eastern seaboard was doing the same thing as I.

Lunch came, and my friends tried valiently to calm me down. I couldn't eat, and I couldn't think. I was in this state of total utter and complete shock. My cell phone rang. Mom had been trying to call me for over an hour now, to let me know that @gbrunett was ok. A sudden nosebleed had delayed him, and he had not yet arrived at work.

A wave of relief washed over me.

I barged into my sister's spanish class (small town school, easy to find who you need), with her sitting at a desk white as a ghost and panicked looking. I took her outside, and let her know exactly what happened. This was her first week of high school. What a way to start it...

While I am glad my family and friends are OK, I am still VERY saddened by the loss of life and the fact that something like this happened. Eight years later, it still bothers me. My family of firefighters and first responders lost a lot of great people that day.

So, I ask you, dear readers and followers... What happened to you on this day? Did it change your world? Do you remember where you were, what you were doing, and how you felt? Do you think I'm nuts and blabbering on? I'd love to hear from some of you not on the east coast about what happened with you.

9.08.2009

Hey guys, hope you all had an awesome Labor Day weekend! I have some pretty cool news to get your work week going...

In the past few weeks, we've been pushing out new code to our motorola set-top boxes (A28 i-guide). Features include:
  • A new on-screen keyboard designed to make it easier/faster to type;
  • "Folders" that will group your shows together (instead of 50 CSI's showing in the menu, you'd see CSI, CSI: Miami, Etc folders with a bazillion in each);
  • Search and set recordings by actor, director or keyword from your cable box. Great if you love catching every show/performance from your favorite person!
  • Have the option to switch to the HD version of a show (if available) right on the guide
  • Order by Remote. Capability to watch HSN and order right from the screen (probably bad news for shopaholics!).
  • And the big kicker....









OHMIGOSH REMOTE DVR! :)



Say hello to Comcast's MyDVR! We are currently testing this for our customers in the Chattanooga, TN area. No worries, though... we're launching this in other areas as well (I don't have dates for you, sorry!). Folks will be able to activate at http://www.comcast.net/mydvr but this is (again) ONLY IN TESTING. Broadbandreports leaked this a few weeks ago and crashed the test site. Do not try to register unless you're in Chattanooga, it won't work. Be patient :)

I had the opportunity to check some of the new features out, and it's looking pretty cool! I hear that this is not what the final design will look like, but hey... it's still in testing! Got a few screenshots below for you.



I think we should all get together and have a party now. :)














8.16.2009

Say Hello!

This is a personal post, the only thing comcast-related is the appearance of the Comcast bag in the background of the pictures :P

I've spent the last few weeks checking out dogs on PetFinder.com, and stumbled upon several shelters and rescues with dogs I've fallen in love with. After a solid week of hopping from shelter to shelter, I finally found one in Lancaster with a BUNCH of dogs I liked.

Now, this is out of state for me. Lancaster is a good hour and a half drive from my house, so emails were exchanged and applications were filled out prior to me driving all of that distance. Sadly, I arrived only to find out two out of the three I was interested had been picked up by a rescue group. The other little fella had some serious issues with guys.

Imagine the sadness I felt as I was standing at the counter hearing all of this. I was sure this would be the shelter I would adopt from. Did I really just drive forever to go home empty-handed?


Luckily, this wasn't the case! :)

Say Hello to Mylo! He's the newest addition to my crazy family. One of the administrators overheard my story of looking and driving, and asked if I was ok with a dog that needed a quiet and relaxing house with no kids. Of course, the answer was yes! He's a bit of a shy boy, so he takes some time to warm up to folks. He's about a year old, neutered, up-to-date with all of his shots, and has no crazy medical issues. There are bits of Chihuahua (pronounced chee-who-ah-who-ah in my family), Pug, and Terrier in this little guy! Nuzzling up next to you, chin rubs, car rides, and kisses are a few of his favorite things already :)

I can not say enough good things about the Humane League of Lancaster. They are not affiliated with the humane society or SPCA, but they are an AWESOME group of animal advocates. They rely completely on donations, as they receive no funding from their local municipalities they serve. If you'd like to check them out, their site is here.

And now, a few more pics for your viewing pleasure! :)











(p.s. this little bitty dog has a VERY stinky butt)

7.23.2009

Like many of you, I received and email from Comcast earlier today with a big announcement for you sports fans. ESPN360 will be available starting August 4th (very soon!!) at http://www.comcast.net/360 . This is only available to Comcast Hi-Speed Internet subscribers. So make sure you're up to speed with your internet connections (hahaha, get it? up to SPEED? oh i'm horrible...). If you're having problems, let us know!

Remember, nobody likes a stinky internet connection. 75% of the issues I see with internet connections are NOT outage related. If your connection goes down frequently due to "outages" or you find yourself having to reset your modem more than once a month, we need to check it out for you. As always, we're here to help solve life's little cable problems :)


Now, if only we can solve life's little housing problems I'd be set! :P

7.21.2009

Houses

For those of you wondering about my housing situation, here's the latest update!

The USDA said YES to my loan, so all I'm waiting on now is the actual settlement date. When this happens, I'll be out of the office for a good week... so no surprises! Now, why is the USDA involved in my mortgage process? It DOES seem a bit strange to those of you not residing in rural areas. The answer to that question can be found here.

I'm working on getting the final details hashed out right now, and am understandably VERY stressed out. I have to vacate my current rental on July 31st, so things are coming down to the wire. Over the last few weeks I might have come off of as irritated or short-tempered... to which I apologize for if I sounded that way. I have always, and will always be here for my Customers when you guys need me. When everything settles down again, things will flow much smoother.


So, would you like to take a peek inside my new place? Check it out here! Figured you might want to see what I've been posting about these last few weeks :) Bear with my spastic first iMovie experience...

7.09.2009

Here's a bit of news to start the day:

Starting today, Comcast will begin trialing a service in several markets called “Domain Helper,” which will impact approximately 3 million Comcast net subscribers. This service will be automatically turned on for customers who live in the following markets

* Portland
* Denver
* Houston
* Seattle
* North Arizona
* Utah
* New Mexico


Domain Helper causes a Comcast-customized error page to display, instead of a standard 404 error page, when a user misspells a website URL or types in any non-existent URL, for example http://www.comtcas.com. Most other major ISPs are providing this same service including Verizon, TWC, Cox, Charter and Earthlink.
Got a question about it? Thoughts? Let me know in the comments!

UPDATE: To Opt-Out of this service, go to https://dns-opt-out.comcast.net

7.01.2009

So I get this email from John at Seesmic asking if he could pass along my info to a NYTimes reporter. I'm instantly skeptical because the press and us have a weird relationship. Once I found out that it wasn't about Comcast, that skepticism disappeared.

So this Paul guy emails me asking when we can chit chat and sends me a list of stuff to answer. He instantly found out how the A.D.D. affects me, when he got responses completely off topic. After some clarification, he got the right info :) We finally touched base on SUNDAY when I was at my parent's house in NJ (I wasn't in Delaware). After many failed attempts on skype and several calls to my parent's landline, we finally talked. We later learned all of those failed attempts were due to the mute button on his headset. Oops! Being at the parent's house made this even more "fun" as bets were getting tossed around for how long it would take him to call back again, and my dad making fun of me while he was interviewing me!

So, just a few minutes ago, I get a message from @bradonmoase saying he read the article. I had no idea Paul had finished it! Now I have to grab tomorrow's NYTimes :)

Check it out! I feel special or something warm and fuzzy like that.

New York Times Article about Tweeting


Wow. That's kinda crazy!

6.30.2009

A few notes about skipping around on the DVR's. Page up and page down will skip you 5 minutes forward or backwards. For a less drastic skip, check out below!

1. Choose an unused or unneeded button on the “silver” remote to be the 30-second skip command. I use the little yellow triangle

2. Press the “Cable” button at the top of the remote to put it into Cable Box control mode.
3. Press and hold the “Setup” button until the “Cable” button blinks twice.
4. Type in the code 994. The “Cable” button will blink twice.
5. Press (do not hold) the “Setup” button.
6. Type in the code 00173.
7. Press whatever button you want to map the 30-second skip command to. Like I said before, I use the yellow triangle.

6.23.2009

FIRST POST!

Well, since you guys don't seem to dig Seesmic quite as much as I do... Here you go!

It's been so long since I've taken the time to sit and write a blog post. I remember back in high school hearing about a site called diaryland.com (which I frequently misspelled as dairyland.com) from a grass green mohawked punk chick from NYC. Wow, now that I think about it, that was 1999. I don't think the term "blog" had even come into existence yet! Anyway, I've been blogging in one form or another since 1999, 10 whole years. That's kinda nuts...

The most formidable, turbulent, and growing-up parts of my life are documented across various sites on the internets. I find myself looking back on them every now and then to pick out pieces of wisdom I unknowingly left for myself years ago. As a child of the technological age, this seems perfectly natural for me to "reside" on the net and constantly turn to technology for ways to simplify life. It's also the most amazing way to learn new things, come up with great ideas, and meet interesting folks.

I guess it only makes sense that I now reside in the world of social media. The gradual progression from individual websites catered to small groups of people to a few websites catering to large swaths of people happened with the whole "Web 2.0" thing... whatever that means. There's definitely a huge difference between the online world of today, and the world of web in high school.

I have a few central places where people know to find me including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Myspace. Yahoo! profiles nipped at the idea of a social network years ago, but they didn't have the insight to morph it into something bigger than that. Myspace made the social network scene mainstream, while Facebook perfected upon the format. And then... we come to Twitter.

People ask me all the time, "What's the use in Twitter? It seems pointless and stupid!" and I have to tell them it's not what they've heard. Twitter has become very publicized in the wake of folks like Shaq, Oprah, Ashton Kutcher, MC Hammer, and any number of celebrities using the service. They don't, however, really hit upon why Twitter is so amazing as a community tool. News programs are using this realtime (@RickSanchezCNN) to interact with their viewers and members of our Government are communicating things out to the People they serve. Companies are using it to promote products, provide news, and more importantly provide SERVICE to their Customers.

This leads me to a huge part of my world... My job!

I didn't actively pursue a career in the exciting world of Tweeting. I mean, come on... Twitter didnt even exist until recently. Let's be honest with each other. The chances of someone getting a job doing this are slim to none. Prior to coming to my current position, I was helping maintain vital systems in a data center within the company. When someone said "Hey, you should check out this job! It would fit your personality so perfectly!" I was like... what? We all know how that turned out, and you all know how my personality meshes with the online world around me (and the the real world just outside of my boss's office... Sorry Frank! *laughs*).

I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing (honest!). I enjoy running into "tough" Customers with the most crazy and outrageous issues that never seem to get fixed. I enjoy the challenge of fixing their services. The most important thing I enjoy is restoring their trust in a company that they have lost faith in. I want them to know that I'm here because I care, not because I'm getting paid to help. If I didn't believe in the people I work for, I would have left the company a long time ago. Four years later, I'm still here! I believe more than ever that we're moving in the right direction acknowledging that hey... we haven't had the best customer service record. Why don't we fix this? Well, that's what we're aiming for and I wan't to be a part of making that a company-wide change.

ANYWAY.

When I look at the big picture, there are so many possibilities for what we can do in this space. You and I can connect instantly via chat, voice, or video anywhere in the world with a decent internet connection. Heck, you can do that from your cell phone! We can collaborate in real-time, share documents instantly, and improve upon the world one keystroke or click at a time. Doctors can perform surgery remotely... who would have every thought about that happening? ANYTHING is possible, and the limit is whatever our imaginations make it out to be. What will you make of it?


ARE WE DONE YET???? Hehe. No.

This is the most coherent blog post you'll ever see from me. It took an extreme amount of concentration to write it and to be honest, that's not something I have a lot of. I'm diagnosed with A.D.D. and take medication to keep myself from crashing my car and functioning in general. It's a never-ending battle to keep track of everything in my world, and I lose track of myself occasionally. My weekends are my time to sit back and catch up on my life. Without them, I might be a really irritable person. If you've tried to reach me Saturday, Sunday, or Monday I probably didn't respond. As much as I absolutely positively LOVE MY JOB (I'm not getting paid to say that either) and want to help every person I possibly can, I have to remember to take care of myself. I hope you understand that, as I'm sure you lead a hectic and sometimes crazy life as well! Also, future blog posts wont be so um... formal. It's just not the way I am. I'd like you to remember I'm an individual, and I exist outside of my company. This blog will attempt to bridge those two worlds together in the most politically correct way I know how. Keyword here is: attempt.













(OK, we're done now!) :)

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