*Original Photo by FlemishDreams. Mash up by Jon Ray.

As of late, I’ve become a Twitter-holic and have averaged around 20-30 Twitter messages a day via SMS on my T-mobile phone. The last music video I produced this past weekend, I live Tweeted the entire process and received an onslaught of referrals to my blog from Twitter. Actually, Twitter is probably one of the biggest referrers of unique readers to this blog. About 24 hours ago, I began getting this message whenever I tried to send an SMS update to Twitter:

Service is temporarily down. Please, try again later.

I didn’t think much of this message until I saw this post over at TechCrunch. It links out to several other blogs and forums that claim T-Mobile is preventing its customers from using the Twitter service. One customer sent out an email to T-Mobile after their customer service representative told her “T-Mobile does not support third party message services and sometimes you may be able to use them because of a bug in your system…t-mobile system caught up with the bug and that you shouldn’t expect to be able to use the Twitter service any longer from T-Mobile.”

I couldn’t even get an answer from T-Mobile’s customer service department, because they had no idea what Twitter was and why it might have been blocked. In a lackluster attempt to answer my questions, the representative did a quick search engine search to see if she could find any further information. She then read me this quote, which is from an email that was supposedly sent out by Marianne Maestas, of the Executive Customer Relations department at T-Mobile:

…Twitter is not an authorized third-party service provider, and therefore you are not able to utilize service from this provider any longer…. T-Mobile is not in violation of any agreement by not providing service to Twitter. T-Mobile regrets any inconvenience, however please note that if you remain under contract and choose to cancel service, you will be responsible for the $200 early termination fee that would be assessed to the account at cancellation.

I chuckled, as I had already read that over at GetSatisfaction and while, it had not been officially confirmed, I found it funny (and sad) that this T-Mobile representative decided to quote it to me in answer of my question, when she had no idea if it was a legitimate email from her boss. I recorded the phone call, but decided not to post it because I didn’t ask her permission before hand.

Needless to say, I am furious! I was just getting into the whole Twitter thing and now my micro blog world is coming tumbling down because T-Mobile has decided that they can control the content that I receive and send on my phone. I can’t help but wonder who on T-Mobile’s executive staff thought that this would go unnoticed? Why would anyone over there think that blocking content on my phone was a good idea?

Anyhow, I’m curious to see where this leads and how T-Mobile is going to compensate its loyal customers (6 years) for this HUGE inconvenience. I’ve been looking long and hard at the iPhone, perhaps this is enough reason for me to take the plunge and switch to AT&T. Are you having issues with your T-Mobile phone accessing Twitter? How has your customer service experience differed from mine? Has anyone from T-Mobile contacted you with further information? Share it in the comments section.

T-Mobile I’m Mad at YOU!

UPDATE: Twitter is now reporting this:

We’ve been tracking a missed connection between T-Mobile and Twitter for the past few days. If you’re a T-Mobile customer using Twitter in the United States over our shortcode 40404, you may see intermittent failures (both with sending and receiving updates). We’re working to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience!

Update (12/15 3p): We’re still working on this and believe it to be a technical issue happening between T-Mobile and the folks who help run our text messaging. At this time we do not believe it to be a policy issue (as has been speculated). We’re hoping for a resolution soon and will let you know when we know more.

So, perhaps T-Mobile isn’t really blocking Twitter, even though it sounds like they feel they could if they wanted to. Regardless, I think T-Mobile could have been a little more helpful on the customer service side of this thing and tried to figure out what was happening and give me the above message, instead of me having to search for it. No one likes having Terms of Service legal jargon thrown in their face as a reply to a legitimate concern from a long term customer. Tsk. Tsk. T-Mobile. Tsk. Tsk. Let’s hope you guys get your act together, because if Justine gets any more convincing, I might join the iPhone army.

UPDATE: Twitter seems to be working again with my T-Mobile phone. Hurray!

Popularity: 70% [?]

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There’s been a lot of talk lately about “transparency.” Apparently, every company and person out there should be an open book for the rest of us to read and misquote. But, when you really think about it, do we really want to know what every company is doing behind the scenes? Is that really what’s best for us as a community?

Was Bernard Ebbers really that bad a guy? All he was really trying to do was avoid a few margin calls so that he could save his timber and yachting companies. Is yachting a crime? I don’t think so! Who knows, maybe $3.8 billion in fraudulent accounting methods to mask WorldCom’s declining financial condition by painting a false picture of financial growth and profitability to prop up the price of WorldCom’s stock was the only way he could pay his debt with Strip Club Jets? Have you ever met an angry stripper? Prison is a better deal.

And while we’re on the subject, I think Enron gets a bad wrap. Were they hiding debt in an attempt to inflate profits and prop up stock prices? That’s one side of the story. But, Enron’s accounting was complex. Was it questionable? Perhaps. But, if we’re going to call that and the WoldCom scandal “questionable,” Then you’d think we’d hold everyone to that standard and I don’t see any pointing of fingers at other companies that are participating in “questionable” activities.

Anyhow, I’m not sold on the whole “transparency” thing. So, while the rest of you argue about whether companies should disclose certain information to the public, I’m going to do some Christmas shopping. You’ll never guess what I’m getting you this year.

The lesson here is that when we, as a community, come together and voice our opinion, we have more power than any corporation in the world. The new age of media that we are now experiencing holds people and corporations accountable for everything they are doing, as they do it. Social media has become a checks and balances system that governs over everyone. So, how transparent are you? If all the skeletons in you or your company’s closet were suddenly thrown out into the public eye, would your career survive? Would your company survive? Would you survive?

I’m going to attempt to be more transparent. And while, I don’t think opt-out transparency (Facebook Beacon’s initial concept) is right, I do think that opt-in transparency is a step in the right direction for companies everywhere. An honest business has nothing to hide. If we have nothing to hide, then the community will embrace us. If we’re smart enough to share in that embrace, then we’ll find we have a built in customer base. After all, you should only start a company if you plan to solve a problem and serve the customer better than your competition. Let’s all try and serve our customers better. They’re paying our salaries.

How can I serve you better? What would make your experience with me and my company, Suited Productions, more enjoyable? How is your company serving its customers? What frustrates you as a customer of other companies? Has Facebook’s Beacon affected you at all, or did you even know about it before this? Are you willing to give up personal information if it gives you a heightened user experience? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop? Share your thoughts, concerns and rambling in the comments’ section.

And for the record, I LOVE my Facebook profile! I am confident that Zuckerberg and his loyal army of PR goons will show a softer side and smooth everything over with you nay-sayers. Don’t agree? Tell me why…

Popularity: 41% [?]

Lately, I ‘ve been sounding like a broken record. Every time I meet with a new client, I find myself saying the same things over and over again. I hear the same questions, “What is Social Networking?, What is Social Media?, Why do I need to get involved? Can’t I just use regular advertising?” In an attempt to capture the answers to these and other questions regarding social networking and social media, I am putting together a video presentation that I can e.mail or message to prospects and clients looking for more information about some of the services my company offers.

Here is a working script that I have written for the video spot. Use your imagination, as the video will have a great deal of visuals to explain all of the things I talk about below. I’d love to hear your feedback. What parts do you like, what parts do you hate? Am I on the right track? Does it paint a clear picture of social networks and social media? What am I missing?

Your feedback is greatly appreciated! Also, if you haven’t already, check out Chris Brogan’s blog. He is writing 100 useful blog posts in a row about the tools, techniques, and strategies behind using social media for your business, your organization, or your own personal interests. Should be a page turner (I mean window scroller…I mean…what?).

The working script:

What is a Social Networking and Media Campaign?

Hello, internet! This is Jon Ray from whoisjonray.com and as you may or may not know, the way we produce and receive media is changing. No longer can companies blanket their message over the masses and expect people to respond favorably. There are just too many other brand messages to compete with and not enough people are listening to traditional forms of advertising and marketing. Society has been programmed to ignore traditional advertising and marketing and they’ve gotten pretty good at it. The question now becomes, “If my message isn’t being heard, how can I gain traction in a world teeming with competing brand messages?” And the answer is “People.” Start listening to people and you’ll be amazed at what they say.

For too long, advertising and marketing campaigns have been void of a personal touch. In the old world of media, brands could get away with avoiding personal contact with their customers. The best advertising won out and it wasn’t really necessary to reach out on a more intimate level. But, those days are over.

Today’s consumer looks for brands that are remarkable, but more importantly people that are remarkable. Today’s consumer wants to see the face of the company they are buying products or services from, they want their opinion heard. Whether your service or product is good or bad, your customers are talking and people are listening. Millions and Millions of people are listening. What are your customers saying about you? Are you listening? Have you joined the conversation?

We’re designing social networking and media campaigns that drive traffic to your business, while allowing you the opportunity to communicate with your current customers and future prospects. There’s a giant new community out there and we think you should be a part of it. Our social networking and media campaigns will put you front and center.

So, what is a social networking and media campaign and why is it a valuable tool in your marketing strategy?

Well, first off, let’s talk about what social networking is?

We all know what a network is. It’s any netlike combination of filaments, lines, veins, passages, nodes or the like. A group of transmitting stations linked by wire or microwave relay to broadcast the same program simultaneously is a television network. Our transportation systems are a network of roads or railing. A network of veins and arteries is found in the human body. Networks are everywhere and play a critical role in determining the way problems are solved, organizations are run, and the degree to which individuals succeed in achieving their goals.

So, what is a social network? A social network is a network of people tied together by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as values, visions, ideas, financial exchange, friends, kinship, dislike, conflict, trade, web links, airline routes, etc., etc. The list goes on and on and on. Because many social networks are searchable and allow you access to this information, it’s never been easier to find the right conversation to join. You can even start your own. Social networks can help you target a specific demographic with your marketing, spread word-of-mouth praise for your company, raise public awareness about one or all of the projects you are working on, find new markets, design and develop your next product, streamline your workflow and most importantly get to know and understand your customers better.

Here’s how it works: I log into the social network of my choice or multiple social networks and setup a profile. Now, I search for people I know and see that Dusty has a profile too. I click ‘add as friend’ and now Dusty and I are e.Friends. Now I have a question about software development. In the real world, I might call Dusty and ask him if he knows anyone that can help. Dusty would refer me to Stacy, who might refer me to Zander, who would refer me to Larry and Larry would answer my software development question.

Now, let’s see how that formula is applied to social networks. Now that Dusty is my e.Friend, I can see who all of his friends are and who their friends are and so on and so on. I see that Larry is a software developer, so I send him a message directly, rather than being routed through two other people before Larry can answer my question. Thanks, Larry! Social networks streamline how I find people and information. But, we’re just getting started.

Let’s say that I want to share information on how my company can save you thousands of dollars a year off your electricity bill by installing features that make your house more energy efficient. I write something up, put together a video or make an audio recording and then upload it to my profile. Now, everyone that is one of my e.Friends can see that I’ve uploaded new media content and they go to watch it. They are excited about how much money they’re going to save and want to share it with their friends, so with the click of a button they add it to their profile and favorite it. Now, all of their friends can see that they have new content, so they go and take a look at it. As more and more people get excited about saving thousands of dollars every year off their energy bill, they get your video out to more and more people, who spread it along further and further. By utilizing these social networks, I’ve given my media content the potential audience of hundreds of millions of people.

Now let’s say that I have a company. I can create a fan page or profile for my company and then invite people who watch my video to become a fan. Not only does this boost my self-esteem, but it now allows me to communicate on a more intimate level with potential prospects and all of their e.Friends can see that they are now a fan of my company. My fans can even invite their friends to become a fan of my company too. And why wouldn’t they? My fan page has all kinds of useful information about green building, being energy efficient, saving money and the world! People can ask me questions about how my company operates, start an open forum about subject matter related to my company and even make suggestions as to services and products I should add. If my content is compelling and I have enough of it, I can keep prospects in front of my brand name for hours at a time and when they do finally call or message me about purchasing my product, I’ll already know who they are and they’ll be a much more qualified prospect than a random person off the street would be. I sure am grateful for all the business my e.Friends keep sending me!

I know what you’re saying, “But, Jon. I don’t have any friends and that makes me sad.” That’s okay. We’re here to help! Now that you’ve got a profile on one social network, we’re going to get you setup on all kinds of other social networking sites and make you popular. One way we’ll do that is by creating compelling content and distributing it all over the web. We’ll use that to drive traffic to your social network profile and get you some friends. But, don’t just sit there like a bump on a log and think that compelling content alone is going to make you the popular kid in school. Sure, compelling content is important, but compelling conversations are even more important. So, that’s what we’ll do next. We’ll get you set up with a blog that will allow your proverbial voice to be heard. Once your blog is kickin’ we’ll scour the web for other blogs or people that are talking about similar issues and subject matter. Once we find them, we’ll comment on some of BloggerA’s posts and add to the conversation. We might even link back to your own blog and continue that conversation there. Now that BloggerA has been conversing back and forth, we could invite him to become our e.Friend or even a Fan of your company. There are links to the social networks that you belong to on your blog, so BloggerA might add you as a friend before we even ask. Now that you and BloggerA are buds, we might mention him in a couple of the posts we write on your company’s blog. In return, BloggerA writes about your company in one of the posts on his blog. Thanks BloggerA! Fortunately for us, BloggerA has 500 subscribers to his blog and now, they all think your company is really cool. So, now they subscribe to your blog too. Some of them even become your e.Friend and now you have lots of Fans. As you get to know each e.Friend they begin talking about your company in their blogs and telling all of their friends how great your company is. Now you have a lot of subscribers to your blog, even more e.Friends, a lot of fans and they’re all talking about your company. Suddenly, you have more traffic going to your website and more business than you know what to do with! Well, that’s a good problem to have!

So, so far, so good. You’ve beefed up your staff to handle the influx of business you’re getting and everyone seems to like your company. You’ve even found that the conversations people are having with you has not only improved your customer service methods, but has made your entire workflow easier. With all the extra time you’re saving and money you’re making, you decide you want to reach out to even more people and figure out how your company can help them too. So, you decide you want to buy some advertising. WHAT!?! “Jon, you said advertising was dead, belly up, cold, defunct, extinct, inanimate…oh, sorry, am I rambling?” “Isn’t advertising against the rules?” No, being lame is against the rules. Advertising can be a good thing if it adds value to the community. So, how do we add value…with compelling content and a listening ear.

We can buy social ads that are targeted by age, gender, location, interests, and more. Those ads can even be paired with related actions from a user’s friends. So, if Jeff visits your company’s Fan Page and becomes a fan, we can assume that Jeff’s e.Friends might be interested in your company, as well. We can buy targeted ads that will now show up in the news feed of each of Jeff’s e.Friends. Let’s say we’re still looking for people that want to save the world one energy efficient house at a time, but they need to live in the Austin, TX or surrounding areas and be a college graduate. We query the social network for profiles mentioning the environment or green living that are in the Austin, TX area. Now, instead of buying a bunch of ads and blanketing every profile in Austin, we can purchase ads to show up only on this targeted demographic of earth lovers. Ideally, this targeted demographic is much more in alignment with your company’s cause and therefore will be a much easier sales conversion. Because you’re not wasting money on unqualified ads, you can now spend more on generating qualified prospects.

“But, it’s still an ad, Jon and people don’t like ads. I don’t like ads. What say you to that?” That’s true, many people don’t like advertising, but the reason for that is because most advertising tries to tell you to do something. And people don’t like being told what to do. That’s why we design your social ad campaign a little differently. We use your ads to start conversations and ask questions. Running an ad that says, “Buy a Green House!” isn’t going to generate many leads. But, an ad that asks the question, “How would you save the world AND put more money in your pocket each month?” is a softer sell and would generate more qualified leads. With informative video and other content on your website and fan page, you’ll find that people actually start to chime in and give their opinion. Starting a conversation is the first step to closing a sale.

Advertising and marketing is no longer about telling people what to buy, it’s about starting your own conversations and adding to others. When, instead of telling a person to do something, you discuss it and figure out where they’re coming from, you’ll find that they hold you in much higher regard. Social ads can help you be a part of more conversations and if you’re listening, those conversations can lead to a lot of positive opinions, a lot of raised awareness and a lot of sales.

“So, Jon, what’s next?” Wash, rinse and repeat. Great! You’ve built a successful network of e.Friends and are converting each one into sales. Those sales are turning into referrals faster than you ever thought possible and business is good. Let’s keep that momentum going! We’re going to go through your profile and give it a good wash and rinse. We’ll constantly make sure we get rid of any extraneous or outdated material and then we’ll add new media. The more often new media is updated, the more often your company is in front of your prospects eyes. We’ll make sure that your company is always in the spotlight. Our social networking and media campaigns are designed with your ideal customer in mind. We want to like people so that people will like you.

Monitoring and adding to millions and millions of conversations online every day is a big job, but it’s one of the most important jobs out there for your company. If you’re interested in learning more about how one of our social networking and media campaigns can add value to your company, feel free to video message me on Facebook, YouTube, Kyte or Seesmic, find me on LinkedIn, follow me on Twitter, message me on MySpace or Flickr, comment on my Wordpress blog, invite me to your event through Upcoming, e.mail me or just go old school and call me on the phone. Do people still use those?

Jon Ray
(512.785.9160)

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So, there you have it. What do you think? Your feedback is important to me, so I want to here your opinion, good or bad. Of course, if it’s bad, try not to be too mean. Constructive criticism is key! Thanks for reading and thanks for your help. We’re having a lot of success for our clients utilizing all of the tools available online these days. Now, we just need to figure out the best way to communicate that success without sounding too pompous. It’s quite the predicament!

Popularity: 95% [?]

I talk a lot about customer service and making sure all of your company’s employees are putting their best foot forward, but apparently Texaco doesn’t care about customer service. Over the past year, I spent over $250 a week in gas, food, snacks, booze, etc. at a Texaco that was conveniently located to my old house. Over that year, the clerks were never friendly to me, rarely even said anything at all and most of the time were flat our rude or inconsiderate. I gave these employees the benefit of the doubt and chalked their disgruntled attitudes to something going wrong in some other aspect of their life. I might have been too quick to jump to that conclusion.

We have recently relocated our offices into a larger production facility in North Central Austin and as such, have been spending a lot of time in this area. Once again, a Texaco Gas Station is conveniently located to our new facility and I now find that I am spending just as much at this new station as I did at the old. The only difference is that now I have five other employees that are spending similar amounts. After a brief discussion around the office, we determined that in a given month, our company brings in around $750 a month to this Texaco station. $750 dollars a month that they will never get from us again.

Last week, while working late, I walked into this Texaco to an employee blowing smoke out the door and yelling to another employee. This employee said to her exiting co-worker, “I can’t stand this time change. All it means is an extra hour that I have to worry about getting shot.” She then laughed her smokers laugh and rolled her eyes at me as I walked into the store. As a means to unwind, I put a 6-pack of beer on the counter and showed the clerk my I.D. She skeptically looked at me, then swiped the card in her machine. “Won’t scan, can’t sell it to ya,” she said in her power trip tone. I asked if she could scan it again and explained that I had purchased alcohol at this store before. “Don’t want to hear it, I ain’t sellin’ to ya,” she said cutting me off as she rolled her eyes. I exited the store and had my girlfriend return into the store with her I.D. Upon entering the store, the clerk said to my girlfriend, “Don’t even try it. I saw you in his car and I ain’t selling you no booze!”

Annoyed we left the Texaco and went to the Exxon further down the street. I walked in, put some beer on the table and was cheerfully greeted by an enthusiastic employee. He asked for my I.D. and scanned it in his machine. No problem. As he bagged my goods he said this in a friendly, uplifting tone, “I’d tell you to have a good night, but it looks like you’ve already got that covered. So, I’ll just remind you to drink lots of water before you start and you’ll feel better tomorrow. Also, the white Rockstar energy drinks are great for a hangover if you need one in the morning!” I thanked him and walked to the car with a smile on my face. While the Texaco employee was rude and lost her company over $9,000 a year, the friendly Exxon representative gained his company over $10,000 a year in revenue, as Suited Productions will have to use more and more gas once we add new production vehicles over the next 12 months.

My point is this. Whether you’re a CEO or a store clerk, you represent who your company is and how they do business as a whole. Maybe my I.D. didn’t scan at the Texaco station. That’s fine. But, there was no need to be rude because that clerk was having a bad day. Had she been friendly, I would have just left and gone to the next station one time. Instead, I will never go there again and have requested that none of my employees do either. Fix your customer service problem Texaco, because Exxon has got you beat in spades. And by the way, I went back to Exxon the next morning and bought a white Rockstar, which took me right out of my hangover. Now THAT’S customer service!

Now, that you’ve been so kind as to listen to me ramble on, here is a list of four things you can do to get more for your money at the gas pumps:

1. Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening….your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role. A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.
2. When you’re filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode. If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. In slow mode you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you’re getting less worth for your money.
3. One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY. The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, at many industrial stations, every truck that’s loaded is temperature compensated so that every gallon is actually the exact amount.
4. If there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up–most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.

Every little penny helps. I found this list circulating around the internet and unfortunately, could not find its author to give credit. All I know is that it was put together by a friendly employee at the Kinder Morgan Pipeline in San Jose, CA, who was concerned with making sure the rest of us got our money’s worth at the service station. Whoever you are, thank you! That’s great customer service!

Popularity: 22% [?]