Have you ever had a problem with a Web site? Notice how I did not ask for a show of hands, otherwise there would be a lot of arms in the air right now. When you encountered this error, what did you do? Did you call the company, or try to contact them via email or the contact form on their Web site?

As someone who spends most all of my days on the Web, I encounter many. If I do find an error or something out of the ordinary, sometimes I report it. I say sometimes as when I do, I am often confronted with the sounds of crickets on the other end of the phone, get an automated, generic response or something that contains words but is not necessarily a sentence.

Why is this? There are many contributing factors to this, including the typical siloing of functions within a company, the fact that who answer the phone or check the email from the Web site has no knowledge or way to process such a contact, and the Web site being accessed may be managed by a third-party or other entity outside the company and there are no lines of communication in place. Where these are all realistic scenarios, they do absolutely nothing to serve those actually use the Web site, otherwise known as paying customers.

As an Internet consultant and Web developer, I work closely with my clients and sometimes directly to their customers to resolve any issues with a Web site solution I have provided them. When I do get such a report, I check to ensure the following 4 questions are addressed:

• Who are they – their computer, operating system, browser, Internet connection speed and any programs that may be running while they are accessing the Web site
• What are they doing – the Web site they were accessing, including any and all links and where they linked from, and how they got to this point
• What happened – as much detail as possible, including a written or verbal description and screenshots
• What did they expect to happen – this is always helpful as it could be a case of mistaken expectations, or it could be they knew what was supposed to happen and it didn’t work that way

Generally people are willing to provide this information, especially if they are treated with courtesy and respect. Armed with this knowledge, a troubleshooting path can be put together rather quickly and hopefully a resolution is close at hand. That is, if you take the time to do your best to support the Web site user.

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Tomorrow morning at 8 am local time in many cities around the world will be likemind, where people gather for coffee and conversation. In Chicago, Bruno and I coordinate it, and it will be at the Gallery 37 Café in the Loop at 66 E. Randolph St.

This time, the coffee (or tea or whatever) is free, and so is some reading material, courtesy of Random House. They have sent a limited supply of advance copies of the book Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are by Rob Walker. They’ll be available for free on a first come, first served basis.

No RSVP is required but is always welcome, and you can by commenting to this post or at the likemind Chicago Facebook group. See you in the AM!

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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This coming Monday, May 12, 2008, postal rates increase in the US. For the most common postage value, the rate for a 1 ounce first class letter increases from 41 cents to 42 cents. I never understood why they don’t raise it by a nickel every several years rather than a penny every year, but I digress.

To avoid the catastrophe of post offices running out of 1 cent stamps to cover the increase, the US Postal Service last year introduced “forever” stamps. The premise is once you buy the stamp, it will always be valid for the 1 ounce first class letter rate. So if you bought a forever stamp at 41 cents today, you would not have to add additional postage when using it on Monday when the rate increases.

I laud the post office for introducing forever stamps, as there is surely a significant cost for printing and distributing the additional postage stamps. Not to mention you and I enduring huge lines at the post office to buy another penny stamp. Plus you get some small satisfaction of beating the system.

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Diversions • (2) Comments • Permalink

Not too long ago I heard Joffrey’s Coffee was offering samples for bloggers to try. As someone who is powered by coffee, I couldn’t resist to take them up on their offer.

Shortly after signing up on their Web site I received a sample pouch of Jamaican Me Crazy, a flavored coffee. For the sake of full disclosure, the darker and more robust the coffee is the better it is for me. A couple of my favorite coffees are Trader Joe’s Bay Blend and whatever is roasting when I am at Costco – seriously! I brewed the pouch of pre-ground coffee in my Cuisinart Grind and Brew with the thermal carafe.

My verdict – I liked it. Though a flavored coffee, it did not taste like there was syrup poured into regular coffee, as some flavored coffees taste to me. It was a mild blend, but had a good flavor. Plus there was no noticeable difference in my performance that day!

On Joffrey’s Web site they offer a huge variety of coffees, and I will eventually get through the extensive list. I like to keep milder coffees on hand for visitors, and I will look into their bolder and darker coffees as well.

Business • Diversions • (5) Comments • Permalink