FredMcKinnon.Com

I’ve got a personal rule:
If you’re going to blast a company in public, you’d better be prepared to praise them.

A few weeks ago my internet speed at home took a drastic nosedive.  My upload speed was non-existent and it was taking forever for sites to load.  Dreading the automated phone tree and “Tier 1″ techs who, with all due respect, make me do everything I’ve already done … I made the call.  As expected, I pushed all the buttons on the phone tree only to hold for 20 minutes and finally get redirected back to the “main menu” for no reason.

Long story short … the Tech says that my modem is so old, it’s not supported anymore … it’s “end of life”.  His suggestion?  Go down to the local Comcast office and swap it out for a new modem.

So I get up bright and early so I can be in Brunswick (about a 30-minute drive, one way) when the local Comcast office opens.  And what do I discover?

“Oh, I’m sorry … we don’t have any modems here, they are all gone”.
“We will call you if we get any in”.  (still haven’t received that phone call)
“And we don’t have a number you can call locally to make sure we have them in stock before driving over here”.

As you can imagine, I’m pretty ticked off.  So I vent … publicly … via Twitter.

My tweet went something like this:
“Comcast, thanks for wasting the first hour of my day” #comcastfail

Let’s face it, folks.  Sometimes, things just go wrong.  I own a company, and I get the blunt of both positive and negative feedback EVERY SINGLE DAY on our Ebay, Amazon, and Buy.Com accounts.  Negative feedback hurts … really.  But … even if we screw up … even if we fall short … what really counts is this:

HOW DO WE RESPOND?  HOW TO WE RESOLVE?

It’s no secret that companies have folks whose job it is to search Twitter and Facebook for references to their names and trademarks. So what happened next is pretty fascinating.

About an hour after my tweet I get this @reply on Comcast:
from @comcastMelissa:  that’s terrible, how can we help?

In a bit of a sarcastic jab, I reply:
“I seriously doubt you can help, unless you want to OVERNIGHT a BRAND NEW MODEM to me since our local office has none”.

About 3o minutes later, I get this:
from @ComcastBill:  hey, please follow me so I can get your account info and dm you.

I followed Bill’s instructions, and within an hour, I have a UPS tracking number for a BRAND NEW MODEM, being sent NEXT DAY AIR to my home.

Comcast may have been lacking in the local office and their phone support was a bit frustrating … but as for the team of Comcast folks who are utilizing social networking platforms to monitor their brand and provide customer service, all I can say is …. HOME RUN.

That’s how you keep a customer for life, Comcast.  Great job.  Thanks a million.
By the way – my internet is FLYING fast!

Hi.  My name is Fred McKinnon, and I’m an Apple-holic.

Since I was first introduced to Apple computers at Georgia Southern University in 1989 … it’s all I’ve used.  We’ve got multiple Macs and iPods … but the one Apple product that we’ve stayed away from was the iPhone.

I’ve wanted an iPhone for a couple of years.  The reality is, AT&T’s service in our area is less-than-reliable.  In our home, it’s essentially nonexistent.  That won’t work for us.  So I didn’t just want an iPhone.  I wanted a Verizon iPhone.

So earlier this month, I finally accepted the fact that maybe another phone could be as powerful as the coveted iPhone … at least, until an iPhone was available on Verizon’s network.  (the latest rumor is that this will happen in January 2011 … emphasis on the word, “rumor”).  So Joy and I both got ourselves the brand new “DroidX” from Motorola, sporting Google’s “Android” operating system.

In my business, Google is a constant companion.

Google Checkout
Google Base/Shopping
Google Analytics
Google Adsense
Google Adwords

Earlier this year, at the prompting of Travis Paulding, our Tech Director at SSCC, I migrated all of my email accounts to Google Apps.  After utilizing the powerful Gmail engine in Google Apps to power my multiple domains and email accounts, I asked myself why I didn’t do that a long time ago when Tony Morgan was talking about it.

So the courtship begins.  I have a Google-based phone, a business that networks with Google, and an “all-Apple” computer system, utilizing all the Apple apps like Mail, Address Book, and iCal.

And somehow, all of these have to not just get along … but be in love.

Well, a few weeks into my Google/Droid/Apple courtship, I am proud to say that “love is in the air”.
Stay tuned for Part 2 for details on the courtship, including my Apps, and how I brought my Google Phone into a beautiful union with my Mac Address Book, iCal, To-Dos, Email, Music, Photos, and Videos.

Part 2 … coming soon.

Nerd that I am, I thought It’d check to see if there was an app for wordpress on the android marketplace.  See i got this new DroidX from Verizon and its an android phone.

Well, I am typing this post from within the app.  Full blog on the DroidX and how we’re getting along is forthcoming.

Social Media.  It’s changed our lives, forever.  From teenagers to senior-citizens, indie bands to mainstream news channels, social media is a permanent fabric in our society now.

How has it impacted you?  Are you a “Social Media Junkie”?  Take this test to find out!

Social Media Junkie Test:

1.  Give yourself 5 points for each of the following profiles you own:
Twitter
Facebook
MySpace
YouTube
Vimeo

2.  Now, if you have MULTIPLE accounts at any of the above (ie. multiple twitter IDs) that you control, add an extra point for each EXTRA account.

(example:  if I have @fmckinnon on Twitter, that’s 5 points, but I also have @mckinnonoutdoors, so that’s an extra point, etc.)
(facebook:  I have my personal profile, but also a fan page – that’s a total of 6 points for Facebook)

3.  If you have an account with PeopleString, SUBTRACT 20 points.  (sorry, I just had to!)

4.  Give yourself (10) additional points for every 1,000 Twitter Followers you have.  Round UP.
(so if you have 2026 Twitter, followers that would be 30 points)

5.  If you have updated your Facebook Profile today (prior to reading this), give yourself another 10 points.

6.  If you have “tweeted” today (prior to reading this), give yourself another 10 points.

7.  If your last Facebook OR Twitter update was within the last 1-Hour of reading this, give yourself another 10 points.

8.  If you have not updated your Facebook Status or Twitter Status in the last 24 hours, subtract 20 points.

9.  If you have ever checked your email, twitter feed, or social media status while sitting on the toilet, give yourself a pat on the back, and add 25 points to your score.

10.  If you are on a date with your spouse or partner and pull out your phone to check your social media streams (twitter, facebook, etc) while your date has gone to the restroom … look in the mirror, shake your head in amazement, and add another 25 points to your score.

11.  If you go to bed with your laptop within reaching distance, add another 25 points.

12.  If you have ever “tweeted” back and forth with your spouse or best friend, while sitting in the same house, at the same time … add another 25 points to your score.

13.  If your blog is hosted on blogger.com or blogspot.com, take 25 points away from your score.  (sorry, I’m a WordPress fanatic, and this is my test, so I can create the curve).

14.  If you have NEVER been accused of “being online too much”, subtract 25 points.

15.  If you’ve never used a RSS reader (bloglines, GoogleReader, etc)., subtract 10 points.

How did you do?

If you scored over 100 points:  Social Media Junkie … get a life!
If you scored between 75-99 points:  Your a Saavy Social Media guru, dangerously teetering on being an addicted Junkie!  Be careful!
If you scored between 25-74 points:  Your not as old-fashioned as you look.  Keep it up, young grasshopper.
If you scored less than 25 points:  Time to fish or cut bait.
If you have a negative score:  There’s really no hope for you.  Sorry.

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(Copy/Paste this Scorecard into the comments section below and share your score!)

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Total Score:

Giveaway, Giveaway, Giveaway.

That’s what’s been happening here all week long.

Still to giveaway:  3 more copies of Vicky Beeching’s new “Eternity Invades” CD.  Enter here.
Still to giveaway:  1 FREE registration to the “AllAboutWorship” retreat in May (Kansas City).  Enter here.
Still to giveaway:  a free copy (instant download) of my 1st ever instrumental, “QuietTimes” Keyboard Instrumental.  Get it here.

And today?

“QuietTimes” Volume 2 Instrumental

Building on the success of the first instrumental (granted, these are 16 years old!), I went into a real studio and recorded this with my buddy Dutch Heidler on saxophone.  This album was spontaneous, meaning … we didn’t rehearse and write themes … we just went into the studio and started worshiping … with the “record” button on.  This is great music for prayer, meditation, and reflection.

Please giveback by doing the following:

1.  Click the green “Tweet/Retweet” button in the top RH corner of this blog post and spread the word about this giveaway to your Twitter followers.
2.  Go to my Facebook Profile and click the “Share” link underneath this entry on my profile page (it will appear as a “Networked Blog” post on my Profile.
3.  Leave a comment below letting me know you are participating.
4.  Don’t forget to register in all the other giveaways (each day had a different giveaway and a different page, links above!
5.  Enjoy your new music – Download “QuietTimes” Volume 2 Keyboard/Saxophone Instrumental now.  (if you burn a CD, be sure and set your software to allow no seconds of space or “gaps” between tracks so the music flows continually)