Companies using Twitter: If you tweet it, they WILL respond... FAST!!!

As I was reading my credit card bill (which is an anomaly) I noticed that I was charged for 3 items from my hosting company, turns out that they charged 3 domain names which I shut down a year ago - all .asia extensions (they were big a few years ago when it came out) - for $19.99 each.

The first call I made was at 11:15am this morning (Toronto time) to clarify that I never got any email notification, Nicole (billing department) said that they sent an email notification which is something I never received. Turns out that it went to bounce@xxxxxxxx.ca - the hosting company's own email address.

11:40am - second phone call. Spoke with Priscilla who took longer this time as I explained my self again that I never authorized payments for the renewal and pointed out that that email they sent would bounce back to them, considering that there weren't any active email addresses I had on my account.

She puts me on hold for 5 minutes to look for a supervisor (she was clueless as well on why this happened), and came back with the same answer - once it goes through then there are no refunds. I scratched my head, reminded them that the former hosting company I had, to which I transferred all my accounts from, never had any issues refunding unauthorized renewal of domain names.

She stuck to her guns, told her that I was recording this and will post to YouTube, and hung up.

I was going to post the conversation on YouTube but I thought I'd try my luck with Twitter first and see if others were experiencing the same issues. So I did a Twitter Search for @suckyhosting (not really the real name but you get the idea, you put the "@' symbol and the name of the company after - e.g. @kontentstudios) and they all popped up.

I was not alone. So I thought might as well post my issue too, not really expecting any reaction - I just needed to vent.

12:06pm - I posted my concern on their Twitter account.

12:43pm - I get a Twitter response.

12:59pm - I again reiterated my concern on unauthorized billing.

1:20pm - I received a phone call from the hosting company apologizing, they were refunding the amount while we spoke.

Within 2 hours the issue was resolved and my money was refunded, I was in shock and amazed that social media works. IF you TWEET it they will respond FAST.

If you haven't figured it out yet, BIG companies value recommendations from real people, and resolving customer issues echoes loudly in cyberspace. Customer service becomes transparent, it has to, in order for them to attract and retain current clients. If they don't react then they don't care.


The tweet I sent: "@xxxxxxxx is a hosting company crook, took my $60 from unauthorized renewals and won't refund; way to go #xxxxxxsuck - do you even care?


Moral of the story: social media is loud and effective, it can make and break your business. Use it wisely and it will help you get web exposure may it be textually or visually.

If you haven't seen "United Breaks Guitars" then this is your chance. This is the video that initially started it all - United Airlines customer service that backfired on them. It actually involved a Canadian musician named Dave Carroll:

 United Breaks Guitars details can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Breaks_Guitars.

How important are profile pictures (headshots) on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or dating sites?

If you’re still branding yourself as the faceless phantom on LinkedIn, or the white egg on Twitter, then maybe it’s not that important for you to get noticed. I know you’re too busy or just didn’t get the time to do it – that’s fine, but the longer you procrastinate the more people lose interest and might not take you seriously.

Oh Wait, you do have one.

Is it the same picture in Facebook, the one with you picking your nose or is where you’re with your significant other, holding a beer bottle, wearing something sexy, or represented by a logo?

Maybe your Facebook image (even on Twitter) will fly with your FB crowd, but getting serious props in LinkedIn may be another matter. I know, a lot of the execs are using family pics from their home album – but then again they’re the guys you’re trying to impress and not the other way around (although it’s still advisable that they do change it to a more professional headshot considering that LinkedIn is the business version of Facebook, just saying…).

So let’s assume that you did agree with me (it’s okay to pretend), you can go to the nearest Wal-Mart, Sears or photobooth and get one (passport photos do come cheaper, but you have to scan them and save as a file), or spend the money and get a professional headshot (believe me the quality is better and have a few images to choose from).

In any case, your decision to get one is really important for your profile online as this will represent your professional demeanor. Just like an interview, first impression is everything and your online profile relays the same message especially if your work experience is visible.

Here's a YouTube video on the subject:

Still not convinced?

Here’s a few comments that I ran into one of the LinkedIn forums (also found on AO-Portraiture blogpost) which may help:

·         Not having a profile picture is like attending a networking event with a brown bag over your head!

·         Pictures are important if you are the face of your business. I know I like buying from people I can see and have a good relationship with.

·         I was persuaded some years ago to include a photo on my website and that it was money well spent to have this done professionally. The result was a series of formal/informal shots that show me looking relaxed and smiling – not possible with an amateur shot!

·         When deciding whether to accept/initiate a connection or not, I go to their profile page, then to their website, and if they are intriguing enough I might follow their trail around the web! Usually, somewhere along this trail I find a picture. But if I find none anywhere I might hesitate or click “ignore.”

·         I personally don’t like profile’s that use anything other than a self photo, to me, this is one of the first steps to connecting with someone.

·         I tend to click on more profiles that have a picture than those without.

·         We do create an impression in how we present ourselves, almost immediately, so it’s important that it’s the impression we want to make. As this is a business network, I’ve been really surprised at some of the images people use to represent themselves.

·         I know I’m far more likely to follow or connect with someone with a picture, whether here or on Twitter etc. It’s not that I distrust those who don’t have one but in a time-pressured workday, a picture helps me find a connection. Content is more important long-term but the image is what we see first.

·         As a LinkedIn expert, let me share with you that having a good profile picture is vital to your success on LinkedIn. Like it or not, people do judge on appearances. And they like to put a face to a name.

·         I have to say that having a picture is a great positive. People like to connect with the person that they are about to enter into a relationship, business or personal for whatever reason. It is part of the chemistry/energy connection that draws people together.

·         For me having a photo adds a human Touch … I also have a nightmare at getting the right photo and I went to a professional photographer for my LinkedIn picture. I always want to appear professional in my business photos but always try to smile in order to get across my warmth and friendliness. Also, it’s a great way to recognise someone at a meeting or networking event if you haven’t met them before but need to meet them.

·         At a practical level it’s about creating familiarity – seeing the same image when you go into discussions, or spot someone on another networking site, simply creates comfort with the ‘known’. A logo can do that too, which is what branding is about, but if I’m going to be meeting up with a person rather than just purchasing a product, I do like to see the face first.

Seeing an actual person’s image presents a human touch, it provides a familiar face in forum discussions, ownership to a professional profile and also shows how serious you are with your LinkedIn account.  Just make sure that it’s an updated photo and not 10 years ago when you still had hair or still rockin’ the 80’s hairdo – that would be false adverting.   

It's also best that you own your name with a face - do you have any idea how many John Smith's, Jose Cruz's and Mohammad Ali's are listed on LinkedIn?

make Kony2012 famous.

KONY 2012 | INVISIBLE CHILDREN: NOW is the time to WAKE UP

Have you seen Machine Gun Preacher?

IT's a biopic film about Sam Childers, a former drug-dealing biker tough guy who found God and became a crusader for hundreds of Sudanese children who’ve been forced by the LRA to become soldiers. I saw this movie last week and couldn’t imagine how this is allowed to happen.

I live under a rock. My personal problems are miniscule compared to what these children are experiencing.

This morning I heard on the radio (KISS 92.5fm) Jason Russell talking about Kony2012 and the Invisible Children of Uganda, the LRA, and Joseph Kony.

Again, I live under a rock and it’s getting uncomfortable. His message hit home and the thought of not doing anything, even the smallest thing that could help, is unquestionable.

So who is Jason Russell? What is Kony 2012?  Who are the Invisible Children of Uganda?

Instead of me talking about them, it’s best to watch the video. It runs for 30 minutes and IT IS NOT A WASTE OF TIME (unless you’re comfortable under that rock). IT was uploaded on March 5.2012 and it has been viewed at least 32 million times as of 11:00am Thursday – March 8.2012 EST.  

YouTube Version

Vimeo Version

Take note of 27:06 and understand.

We have the tools to make him famous enough for people to know. This is not a youth movement, this is a WORLD movement. If it ever crossed your mind on how you can change the world - this is it. You can choose to donate money, time, service or influence (online or otherwise).

It's hard to imagine what is happening to these children, it ECHOES LOUDER when you have children of your own. 

#invisiblechildren

#kony2012

@invisiblechildren

@Kony2012

www.Kony2012.com 

http://www.facebook.com/invisiblechildren

Let's all see how we can help stop the MADNESS - make Kony 2012 famous.

A day in the life of the Internet

Ever wonder what happens on the internet in 24 hours, take a peek below:

Created by: MBA Online

What stood out for me is that there are 250 million photos uploaded on Facebook, 864,000 hours of video uploaded on YouTube and 22 million visit LinkedIn. I guess it might help if you have a proper headshot to your LinkedIn profile, that's a lot of eyeballs to make a good first impression.

I don’t need social media for my business

If you missed the video I posted last year then here’s your second chance. IT’s a bit longer (about 4 minutes) and has additional information added such as group buying sites and online farming.

If you’re a business and still don’t get it then you better giddyup fast or you will miss the train. YouTube is your friend, and there’s a company like Commoncraft that helps you understand it better. Here are a few topics they cover to get you started:

SOCIAL MEDIA

BLOGS

LINKEDIN

5-Minute Headshots

I love networking events so when Vito from Whiteboard Studio, the organizer who runs The Networker.ca, asked me if I would be willing to offer free headshots to the attendees of the MEGA Networking Event I couldn’t pass it up. To be honest, this was my first time taking this many headshots in a day (about 70 people lined up). It was crazy. I was tired. It was amazing and satisfying.


I managed to get a 15 minute break during the event (many thanks to the lady who heard me say out loud “I need some water”, she gave me a glass of water which I gulped between shoots) and took some photos seen below:

MEGA Networking Event - Jan.17.2012

About the headshots, I didn’t have an assistant or hair & make-up artist available during the event. The assistant I could live without since the set-up was fairly simple - I had a stool, a softbox & a white background (taped to the wall) – but the hair & make-up artist would’ve helped. I had a five-minute window and a line-up, not to mention that the attendees weren’t really expecting to have their headshots taken and no mirror available at my area (well, maybe the washroom but…) for them to “freshen” their look. That means that I had to work extra on the image retouching (not really fun folks but it had to be done).

It took me a while and I’d like to apologize to those who didn’t receive their headshots right away but I did manage to get through them (whew!). You can see samples below:

I’ll be featuring headshots of some of these individuals and a bit about their company and what products and/or services they offer on future posts. BTW – networking events are always good to market your business and it’s great for referrals, partnering with others and even closing deals (but don’t push it). 

R.I.P. Melchor Jayme - 92 years old

My family drove from Toronto to New Jersey during the Family Day long weekend for a different purpose, it was for my Grandfather's wake - he passed away on Feb.17.2012 at the age of 92. He was a war veteran from the Philippines and did the Bataan Death March.

It was good to see family (albeit the circumstances) after a few years and noticed how we've all grown with kids. It's not often you'll get to see your great grandchildren in your lifetime, I just hope that we can carry that determination, sharpness and love that he has taught us throughout the years that kept him going.

The Great Grandchildren of Melchor Jayme (missing 5 teenagers who are too old for the group pics and 3 younger ones from the Philippines :).