On The Write Track

Discontent with content

One of the more interesting phenomena of late has been the increase in calls Tech Image is getting for help with content. Not just for byline articles or other media-related documents, but for case studies, white papers, and other marketing material.

It's certainly a service we're happy to offer. I personally enjoy the challenge of learning new things and putting an organization's thoughts on paper. But much of this is the sort of thing a company's internal subject matter experts used to do.

Most of the calls lately seem to come from organizations that have tried it internally and been dissatisfied with the quality of what they're getting, or have tried getting the content from their regular ad or PR agency and have been similarly disappointed. It's definitely nice to have a speciality that is in high demand.

Still, I can't help but wonder if e-mail, IM, and now even blogs is hurting our ability to write intelligently. Certainly there are bloggers out there who do a great job -- they are lively, interesting, and clever. But there are a whole lot of others, especially in the younger generation, who don't seem to be able to form random thoughts into a cohesive message.

Ah well, that's good news for me, and for Tech Image. Keep 'em coming!

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