SERVICE: TABZON — not recommended

Thursday, May 6, 2010

http://www.tabzon.com

*** begin quote ***

The best little in-out board for your office.

Tabzon is a free online in-out board designed to help you keep track of your co-workers’ whereabouts.

   * Centralised Team

   * One-Click Updates

   * Quick Contact Lookup

   * No Software

   * Safe, Private, & Secure

   * Completely Free!

*** end quote ***

I tried it to solve a person problem. I learned about it on blog. (Unfortunately, I forgot which one.)

I thought it would be like a public bulletin board that who show anybody status. It only shows if you have defined users. So it’s a closed community that you have to “invite”. Argh! I didn’t get that from the description. It doesn’t have the granularity of control.

I gave them other feedback as I worked with it.

“You need to declare what it costs on first screen. Always will be free? Freemium? Something else?” (Addressed!)

“Email address restrictions should be up front. Not after you wipe out all the input I did. Argh!” (Don’t know.)

“Your activation email goes directly into spam folders. Unlike what others do. Something needs fixing.”  (Don’t know.)

I was trying to use it as a bulletin board for family to know when to call my wife.

Yes, realized. And, yes. It appears to “reset” to unavailable for no apparent reason.

On May 5, 2010, at 12:07 AM

>Hi again,

>Nice to see your finding the idea useful in a way we handn’t intended.

>This behaviour is odd indeed. Just a couple of things to confirm :

It’s always showing “unavailable”. I’ll try and find another solution. Argh! Sorry. It looked good.

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Posted by reinkefj

SERVICE: UofP blows it by not offering alumni email

Friday, April 23, 2010

*** begin quote ***

A message that you sent could not be delivered to one or more of
its recipients. The following addresses failed:
<xxxxxxxxx@email.uophx.edu>
SMTP error from remote server in greeting:
host email.uophx.edu[204.17.28.37]:
550 Requested action not taken: mailbox unavailable.

*** end quote ***

Interesting! University of Phoenix takes down email when it’s student’s graduate. How short sighted is that?

Obvious, even if I had to cut a deal with Google for Gmail to offer to all my alumni that’s a great marketing ploy.

Future sales. Referrals. References. Social networking. Free advertisign when folks use it. Alumni networking.

Boy, did they blow it.

They may have the next generation in the “education” model, but they still have old thinking at the top.

Traditional schools most flub it as well, but they’re dinosaurs so what would you expect!

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Posted by reinkefj

SERVICE: 2 Google Voice invites

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

*** begin quote ***

You have 2 Google Voice invites left.

*** end quote ***

Anyone want them?

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Posted by reinkefj

SERVICE: Use a Google Voice number for reminders

Friday, April 16, 2010

http://www.macworld.com/article/147288/2010/04/googlevoice.html

*** begin quote ***

Send Yourself Voicemails After Calls to Remember Important Info

I have created a Gmail account and gotten signed up for Google Voice on that account (btw, don’t set it to your cell phone number for this setup.)

Once that GV account is in place, I enable the Do Not Disturb feature which sends incoming calls straight into voicemail.

I also have the settings such that it sends a Speech-to-Text translation to an email address on my Blackberry. Further, I set up my phone to speed dial “Q” (Quick Msg) so, as soon as I get done with the call, I dial Q and go straight into VM. I leave an articulate VM of the details I just committed to and almost instantly, upon completion, it feeds back to my Blackberry signaling that I have a new msg.

I DON’T look at the msg so that when I get back online, I can pull up the Unread msg (or listen to the voicemail attachment) and update the appropriate calendar entry or whatever is necessary to follow-up on the commitment.

Even if the translation isn’t verbatim, that’s fine because it’s usually pretty close and that should be PLENTY to serve as a reminder that I can act on. It’s really a great system, very simple and free. Not too shabby.

*** end quote ***

I have it setup, but I have to play with it a little.

?

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Posted by reinkefj

SERVICE: Yahoo and Facebook are cooperating

Saturday, April 3, 2010

*** begin quote ***

facebook

Hi XXX-owner,

Use the automatic Friend Finder for XXX@YYY.COM. Now it will be easier than ever to share and connect with your friends.

Use our Friend Finder to find your email contacts on Facebook

Find Friends

Thanks,

The Facebook Team

*** end quote ***

Looks like Yahoo and Facebook are cooperating to accomplish something. What I have no idea?

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Posted by reinkefj

SERVICE: CAREMARK WEB SITE and catch-22

Sunday, March 7, 2010

*** begin quote ***

From Caremark

To Caremark Portal User

Date Sent 02/10/2010

Subject Important Information: New Security Enhancement

Message New security step on Caremark.com starting Feb. 20!

The security of your personal and health information is of utmost importance to us. For your protection, we’ll ask you to answer a “challenge question” the first time you log on to Caremark.com on or after Feb. 20, 2010. If you’re using your own computer, you only have to answer the question once, or if you prefer, you may set your User Profile to require it more often. If you are logging on from a different computer, you will be asked the question each time. If you cannot remember your answer, contact our Web Customer Care at 1-800-378-9442.

Thank you.

*** end quote ***

Arghhhhhhh!

First, this email is only available on their “portal” AFTER you logon. You can’t logon because “secondary questions” were NEVER set up. You can’t email into them because they only respond to your inbound email on their “portal” which you can’t get into. And, more aggravating is that they send you an email to saying “look at the portal inbox”. From an unattended email address.

Are they kidding? Has any one THOUGHT about this “barbara streisand”? Doubtful!

Arghhhhhhh!

(I HATE “secondary” identification. It merely provides hackers an alternative way to crack your account. How many favorite colors or mother’s maiden names do you have? My mother’s maiden name changes by web site as does my color. Here’s my five favorite colors: Cxu14, H4v4j, s7Jb5, T9B68, and 1dsz6. And, yes, I use different passwords on every site. Also stupid are those sites that force a format for passwords.)

Arghhhhhhh!

Then, you’re left with no choice but calling in to “tech support”. Innumerable prompts, and delays.

Arghhhhhhh!

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Posted by reinkefj

SERVICE: “twitter sparks…” a customer service revolution!

Sunday, February 28, 2010

http://techcrunch.com/2010/02/28/cherchez-la-fame

NSFW: Cherchez la fame – or why the media’s obsession with Twitter campaigns will make customer service smell French

   * 5 Comments

   *

   *

   Share3

   * Buzz it

by Paul Carr on Feb 28, 2010

*** begin quote ***

Time was, companies knew how to keep track of their important customers.

*** and ***

Two years ago, none of this would have been news. A cult film maker was kicked off a flight? So? What was he going to do? Make a film called ‘Jay and Silent Bob hate Southwest airlines’? (Admittedly that would still have been better than Jersey Girl). An entrepreneur’s got quietly kicked out of a members’ club to make way for more profitable clients? Tough shit: that one’s not even newsworthy enough for the most desperate trade magazine. A little known designer gets ripped off by a gigantic retail chain? Boo hoo. Tell it to someone who cares. Without a major celebrity angle, there was little to no chance of the media picking up a run-of-the-mill intellectual property complaint and forcing the company into action.

*** and ***

Really there’s only one answer – and it’s one that strikes at the very heart of the established hierarchy of customer importance. Companies are going to have to start treating every single customer like a VIP. Actually, no, it’s worse than that – consider the Hidden Eloise example; she wasn’t a customer, but just a humble designer. Companies are going to have to start treating every single person in the world like a VIP.

*** end quote ***

Twitter will burn more and more organizations that are inconsiderate, fraudulent, or deceptive.

I love the strategy: form up your ‘David vs Goliath’ story and get people tweeting and retweeting about it.

Then, watch the “blood”!

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Posted by reinkefj

SERVICE: Your ISP email address is a trap; any ATT users as well?

Saturday, February 27, 2010

FROM AN EMAIL CORRESPONDENT

*** begin quote ***

AT&T has made some major changes to its internet system. They included removing the term “worldnet” from the Email address that some of you use to contact me. They will not transmit emails that contain that term after 3/15.

*** end quote ***

https://reinkefaceslife.com/2007/07/14/productivity-changing-email-addresses/

*** begin quote ***

In my mind, it’s impossible to communicate the change to everyone who has your old email address. It may have been given to them by someone else.

*** end quote ***

May I suggest that you might want to avoid giving out your ISP’s email address?

Your ISP’s email is a trap to lock you in to their service. It can leave you high and dry at the most inopportune times.

They can: (1) be acquired; (2) sell out; (3) change their brand; (4) go out of business; (5) do something dumb; OR (6) have a meltdown of some type.

And, you can be out of luck. No email temporarily or permanently. Then you’re forced to change.

Good luck finding everyone who HAS your email address. They may have been given it by someone you know. But you don’t know them.

You should NEVER permit them to own almost the mort important thing you “own” — your email address. It’s a key to your digital identity. if they get bought out or go out.

Argh!

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Posted by reinkefj

SERVICE: Meme – Yahoo’s Twitter

Thursday, October 29, 2009

http://meme.yahoo.com/home/

Meme – Yahoo’s Improvement on Twitter

# – # – #

I don’t care for the name. Meme, like gene, is supposed to represent a defining concept. Paradigm is perception. Meme is the mental construction that we can share. (A meme can be “wrong” like government. But it’s something (an idea) we can exchange and understand. I think Yahoo has muddled the pond. IMHO!

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Posted by reinkefj

TECHNOLOGY: QIPIT down

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Thanks for signing up for the Qipit online service, the company that specializes in high quality mobile copy solutions. We are making a change in the focus of the company toward the development of smart phone applications and technology for the enterprise. In fact, our first application Qipit White, is available now for the iPhone, with more applications and platforms to follow. Starting this past Wednesday (October 21, 2009), the Qipit online mobile copy service stopped accepting new user registrations.

What this means to you?

As an existing user, you can still use the service as normal until November 9, 2009, at which time the ability to create new copies (using Web upload, our facebook applications, Shozu, copy@qipit.com, and color@qipit.com) and to share (by sending faxes and emails) will be discontinued. On December 6, 2009, the service will be completely taken offline. We encourage users to download all of the information you would like to keep, prior to this date. After the service is taken offline, your information will no longer be available.

As we say goodbye to Qipit the online service, Qipit will live on in a series of smart phone applications and as a technology for the enterprise. Back in September we launched our first smart phone application, Qipit White, for the iPhone, it shares much of the same functionality of the online service, but works much faster! We will continue to support Qipit White and future applications based on the technology behind Qipit for the iPhone, Android and other smart phone platforms. Be sure to keep an eye on http://www.qipit.com and the Qipit Blog for the latest news on new applications.

You can read more about the changes at Qipit at our blog. Please feel free to share your thoughts and farewells to the Qipit online service.

Many thanks,

~ the Qipit team

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Posted by reinkefj

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