There Is Still Hope Out There …
Posted on Jul 19, 2007 | Categories: Collaboration, Knowledge Management, Knowledge Tools, Learning, Life, Metablogging, Personal KM, Social Enterprise, Travelling | 1 Comment
Tags: IBM, Academy of Technology, AoT, Collaboration, Collaboration 2.0, Web 2.0, Learning, Social Computing, Social Networking, Social Software, Social Media, Knowledge Management, KM, Knowledge Sharing, Personal Knowledge Management, PKM, New York, Somers, Madrid, Las Palmas, Flights, Travelling, Metablogging, Blogs, Diary, Life, Hope
I meant to write this particular weblog post last Monday as part of some of the different highlights from having attended IBM‘s Academy of Technology Collaboration 2.0 conference event in Somers, NY, the week before. But given the recent problems I have been having with my Internet connection I haven’t been able to do so till now. Thank goodness it is still very much fresh in my memories, because it certainly was an incredible experience. And the funny part is that it doesn’t have anything to do with the event itself, but with the experience of getting to Somers itself. The conference itself was just awesome, but what I am about to share with you folks is even better than that.
It is a little bit of a story. Actually two of them, thus I am going to split up this weblog entry in two parts. You may want to go and grab a cup of coffee (Or tea) and make yourself comfortable, because I am sure you are going to like both of them just as much as I enjoyed it while going through them. It all starts with the two flights I had to take to get to New York. The first one from Las Palmas airport to Madrid was just … charming. The second flight story I will leave it for a follow up weblog entry for later on …
There I was, sitting on the chair waiting for the flight to take off when a lovely and cute girl of, say, 10 to 12 years old, perhaps with some hearing problems, I noticed, sits on the same row as myself, by the window. I am on the aisle. We are both travelling alone. We chatted for a little bit, while the plane was ready to take off, and we both got down to our little things. I kept reading a book (More on that one later), and she just took out her small pink diary and started writing stuff on it.
I am thinking, hey, she is writing in her diary about … stuff. Cool! I do that myself, too, but online, in my Internet blog(s) heh. I tell you, that scene was just adorable. There I was, sitting next to a young girl who was very concentrated on putting together her thoughts in her diary about her experiences, whatever those may have been at the time. She looked very keen on the whole effort, and I just thought it would have been incredibly delightful to have taken a picture of her in such stage of concentration to remind me / us al of how it all started, blogging, that is, when we may lose our inspiration to keep writing about the stuff we are passionate about.
The whole experience was just fantastic! We kept talking every now and then till the plane got to Madrid. And every so often she would go ahead, open up her diary and write a few notes. I tell you, if I would have had my digital camera I would have asked her if I could take a picture of her while she was writing. Alas, it was packed away in the suitcase, so I couldn’t. Pity. But one thing for sure is that, as I get to write these different weblog entries, I keep getting back to those precious moments and how a young girl of 10 – 12 years kept her diary alive when she could have been doing something less profound, while the flight was on its way to Madrid. You know what I mean. Still, there she was. Concentrated, writing away her own thoughts on her own experiences and looking forward to meet her parents once again.
Just awesome! That is just one of the main reasons why I still enjoy travelling quite a bit. Don’t you think? What a brilliant way to get things going with a trip to one of those conference events that I was looking forward to all along for the last couple of years. It all felt incredibly re-energising and I do hope that at some point in time she would have not only her own private (offline) diary, but a lovely open weblog that she keeps updating every now and then. Next time I bump into her, I will ask her…
Think Globally, Act Locally
Posted on Jul 19, 2007 | Categories: Knowledge Tools, Metablogging, Personal KM, Productivity Tools, Social Enterprise | 5 Comments
Tags: Telefonica, Internet, ADSL, Wireless Router, Router, Broadband, Customer Service, Bad Customer Service, Tech Support, Think Globally, Act Locally, Globalisation
You may have noticed how over the last few days I haven’t been able to post anything into this particular weblog. Yes, it has not been very pretty, on the contrary. I have been suffering from what some would call customer service, or rather, the lack of customer service, specially from my Internet provider. Last Sunday afternoon my Internet connection went down and ever since I have been knocked out from the network. Four days and counting (Till earlier on this afternoon, that is)!
No, it hasn’t been a fun experience, I tell you. I am sure there would be plenty of folks out there who may have suffered from similar experiences, specially with this particular provider, and if there is something that I have learned throughout all of this time that I have been down is, like usual, things shouldn’t be that difficult. I mean, how long does it take to get you a new wireless router delivered to your front door (Mine apparently fried after three years of good service!)?
Well, apparently with these folks up to seven days! Yes, you are reading it right, seven days!!! And I am already on Day 4 and waiting, although I have been told I will get it today. We shall see how that goes. Fingers crossed. (Update: I, indeed, got it earlier on this afternoon, after all that wait! Read on…)
After a number of different phone calls, day in day out, getting a completely different answer every time, I thought about perhaps going my own way and purchasing a wireless router right here, in one of the computer shops in the place where I live, but once again, I was advised by those same folks that I could certainly go ahead and do that, but then they would no longer be supporting me if I encounter any problems with it.
Hummm, really? Do I want to have support from a group of folks who keep telling me different stories every time I call and who are telling me that my new wireless router might take up to 7 days to get over here? Do I want to be supported by a group of folks who have knocked me down for 4 days and a half, and counting, (That is right, haven’t been doing lots of online work this week since I started having the problems with my previous router since Sunday late afternoon), just because they haven’t put their act together into providing some good quality service? Again, how long does it take to get a new wireless router? 7 days? 4 days? I don’t think so. Not in today’s world.
Yes, that is right. I am not sure I would want to have such kind of tech support any longer. At least, not unless I would want to be unproductive for days! In a world where things happen more and more in a distributed fashion and rather fast (That is where the "Think globally" kicks in), examples like this one always make you think whether it is better to actually "act locally". Do I want to have such global tech support or would I rather go down the street, to the local computer shop, purchase one of those wireless routers, set it up and off I go?
I know, I will no longer be supported by them whenever I would have new problems, but then again, if every time I would want to have their support I would need to be knocked down 4 days and still going, I am not so sure I would want that kind of customer service any longer. I guess I will take the risk and go solo. Get myself sorted out locally, make that purchase and then get their local support if something goes wrong. Oh, yes, that is right, the folks where I have purchased this wireless router from do also offer support if in trouble, so why didn’t I think about it last Monday morning when my ordeal got started?
I guess I have been working on too many global projects lately and kept thinking globally, when all that was needed was down the street, purchase the router, set it up and up and running again. On the same day. Last Monday morning. That will teach me for the next time. Like I said, it is always good to keep on thinking globally, but some other times it is way way better, and certainly much more productive, to act locally. And act now!
(Now I am finding out that I have got two different wireless routers, both of them fully supported. One of them globally and the other one locally. Thus either way I am fully covered and hope to get along several years with both of them! YAY!)
(Regular weblogging will resume shortly as I get everything set up and running and do the catch up of the last four days I have been knocked down thus far. If you have tried to contact me offline through e-mail or whatever else I will get back to you as soon as I can. Just bear with me for a bit, as things will start to settle in once again very shortly)
