CNN Money has a great article high lighting The Paypal Mafia a group of founding members of PayPal, lead by Peter Thiel, who has gone on to fund and run some of the internet's most successful startups such as FaceBook, YouTube, Digg, and many more.
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JD over at Get Rich Slowly had a guest poster review Mint.com Everyone here knows my opinion of them, but go check out the post. The reviewer did a good job (aside from excluding security completely) but the comments are good and an employee of Mint seems to be commenting as well.
Click here to check it out.
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I was reading a Times Magazine Article about the relationship between doctors and their patients in the information age. It's a story about a doctor who encounters a patient who has done so much research on her ailment and the doctor himself that she is getting in the way of the treatment. Its a really good read, so take a look at it. But it got me thinking, that as a technician, I deal with the same thing on almost a daily basis. I assume most people in a professional environment come across similar people.
The question I have always asked is, "if you are just going to argue with me, why did you ask to begin with?" I understand that you have done your research and think you are correct, and hey you might be, but lets think about what is happening.
You have a computer problem, so you looked up the symptoms of the problem online. You found a problem that matches all the symptoms. Now you give me all the symptoms and I tell you it is something different is the problem. What causes the difference in our diagnoses? The answer is easy.
You are armed with raw data. You know what could be the problem, but in reality have never experienced the problem and have no idea how to fix it (because if you did, you wouldn't be asking me). I have the data AND the experience to apply that data to a real life situation. I have seen these symptoms and know how to differentiate the symptoms that are causing the problems and the ones that are the effect of the problem. Its a big difference.
Maybe people are so used to getting screwed over that they feel they need to do the research. I encourage people to do research, but you have to understand that there is a difference between spending an hour online looking up a problem, and fixing computers for years. You don't need to prove to me that you know a lot about computers, becasue it comes down to 2 things. Either you know what the problem is, or you don't. If it is the first case, we wouldn't be talking becasue you would fix it. So its the second. In which case, give me the info you collected, if I agree with it, thats awesome Ill probably charge you less to do the fix. If I don't agree with it and I think it's something else don't argue with me. Either accept it or take your equipment somewhere else.
It has gotten to the point where people have argued with me, so I challenge them. Ill say "fine, Ill fix the problem you are saying it is, if its wrong I will fix it my way, but you have to pay double. If your way is right, ill only charge you half" I have never only charged somone half for work in one of these instances. And only 2 people have ever taken the challenge, they both paid double.
The point is: Do your research, but realize experience and knowledge is worth more than just knowledge alone.
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Why is it that so many people make telephone calls to service numbers without having an idea of the question they want to ask?
Not a day goes by where I don't get a call along the lines of
"Person X called and said that I can come pick up my computer."
Thats it, there is no question. Just a statement. What response do people expect when they say things like that. My usual answer is "OK." followed by an awkward pause. Eventually I will say "did you have a question?". On a good call I will get a reply of "Oh I just wanted to make sure it was ready" or "I just wanted to know what time you folks closed" those are questions that can be answered, and while I wish they would have started the conversation, its still OK because we are getting somewhere. However on a bad call, and by bad I mean most, the person simply repeats their statement. It's confusing.
It boggles my mind, that people pick up a phone and call people with no intended purpose. So here is my request. Before you call somone, or some place. Think to your self "what is it I want to ask" If you have nothing to ask, then you have no reason to call. Now, your question does not need to be specific (although it helps). Just a vague idea of your purpose for calling me and I can go from there and ask you questions to get the information I need to help you. I can understand maybe if you had a question, but after a 45 minute hold time you have forgotten it...but no customer who gets to my phone line is ever on hold for more than 5 minutes, and even that is rare so there really is no excuse.
As a side note:
Please don't ask me how I am doing if your intention is to not even pause for a response. Whats the point? I'm sure you don't give a crap about how my day is (why would you, we aren't friends or even know each other) so why pretend.
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Blognetwork
