On The Write Track

Help desk update

Well, well, well. The power of shouting into the wind, I guess. Last night I went back on to Technorati to try it again and lo and behold this time I was able to claim my other blog. Still no word from the technogeeks as to what the problem was, but what it might have been it changed. This time I got a completely different set of choices when I went on, which allowed me to post some HTML gobbledegook on the site, which Technorati was able to find with their spiders. So now I have staked my claim.

I feel like Admiral Byrd. (Yes, I know that was a completely worthless link but I couldn't help it.

Need help? Fuhgeddaboudit

One thing has become quite apparent about the world of blogging in the past few days. If you need help from the companies involved in the technology you are SOL. (If you don't know what SOL means you are way too young to be reading this.)

Tech support in the blogging world is nearly non-existent, at least in any practical sense. If you want help on TypePad, you can contact them via an online form. In a couple of days they will contact you with a list of things that might be the problem, all of which point back to something you did. I've put in two support requests with them, and both times by the time they got back to me I'd already solved the problem. And no, it wasn't on my end, because I'm not a blithering idiot who can barely turn on his computer.

But Technorati makes TypePad look like Nordstrom's by comparison. I was trying to claim a different blog I write call Life in the Fastpitch Lane on Technorati last weekend. I signed in, followed the standard steps for a Quick Claim, and it asked me to enter the username and password for that blog, which I did. It wouldn't take it. I thought maybe I did it wrong and tried it again. Still rejected.

I went to the login and entered the information there, just to make sure I had it right. Sure enough the admin page for the blog opened up. After four more attempts I gave up and decided to try to contact the help desk. After hunting around through the entire site for anything resembling a help function I found an online form. I filled it out in detail, explaining the problem, the steps I'd taken, and asking for suggestions.

As of five days later, nothing. Well, almost nothing. I did receive a noreply confirmation that they'd received my inquiry. But apparently it requires the wisdom of Solomon to solve because I haven't heard a single word from them yet. There's no phone number to call, no way to reach a live person. Basically, until they decide to open their e-mail I am screwed.

I can figure there are two reasons I have not heard back from Technorati's tech people yet. Either this is a nearly unsolvable problem, like trying to get Rex Grossman to quit chucking the ball blindly down the field for 50 yards anytime there's a hint of trouble. Or else Technorati is such a screwed up application that the amount of help inquiries is crushing them. I feel like Michael Keaton at the end of Beetlejuice. I have number 1,354,948 and they are on number 3.

Nice experience

Yesterday I had one of those rewarding experiences that make it all worthwhile. I was following up on a byline article I'd written on behalf of one of our clients for a trade publication. At first when I called the managing editor was a bit neutral, perhaps annoyed at yet another call from yet another PR person. But then he asked me what the headline or topic was, and when I told him he went from cool to gushing.

The guy could not stop saying nice things about the article, and even referred to it as "a real gumdrop." He was excited that not only was it on-target for the audience and on a different topic than the usual, but it was interesting as well. Every now and then he would lapse into his standard "it's tough to make it into the print magazine" rap, but then he'd remember the article (I guess) and talk about getting it in as soon as possible.

In this business you can take a lot of grief and have to overcome a lot of rejection. So it's nice when you get on the phone with an editor who actually likes and appreciates what you do.

Ken

I've been away...but now I'm back

Haven't posted here for a little while because I've been deep into the Tech Image SCS blog and another one we're working on. Basically, I have been trying to get caught up on the mechanics of setting them up and tweaking them.

What I have found is that there is usually a way to do what you want, if you're willing and able to spend some time poking around. I'll be revising the banner to this one soon to make it fit a little better, and adjusting some of the other features as well.

Truthfully, it's both easier and more difficult that it might seem. But once you get the hang of it, the next one is easier to grasp. I hope to become on expert sooner rather than later!

Snow challenges

Last week's first big snowstorm created a lot of challenges for us here at Tech Image last week. Not sure whether it was cause or coincidence, but by the afternoon we lost our Internet access, which brought everything to a grinding halt.

The good news was that the media relations department all were able to make it in and actually get some things done. At least until we lost connectivity. Had a nice lunch, too, courtesy of Tim. Now the only question is will the snow stick around for a white Christmas, or will it all be gone by then?

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