kevinmic.com

Well, it’s Thanksgiving morning, 2009.  Heading out in a few to spend the day with family, but I wanted to take a minute to say Thanks!

Just before last Thanksgiving, I was fortunate enough to start a new job.  Thanks to Steve Chazin, I have had the pleasure of working as Community Manager for Dimdim — after so many years using web conferencing, it’s cool to be able to share free web conferencing.  Thanks to Leslie Poston, because of her I’ve had the opportunity to help out with Social Media Breakfast NH and PodCamp NH.

I’m thankful for my family and friends.  This year was a challenge with two of our favorite moms going in for surgery.  They’re both doing well, which is all I can ask for.  Luckily everyone else’s health seems good.

I finally had a chance to make it to Dallas, TX this year to see my little brother (he’s lived there 10 years.  I know, it makes me a bad older brother.)  There are many friends I haven’t had a chance to see this year, but thanks to Facebook and other services, I’ve at least been able to keep up with their lives a little.

So as you “gobble gobble” this year, even if I haven’t thanked you by name, know that I am grateful for having you in my life.

Have a happy & safe Thanksgiving!

-k

For the September, 2009 Social Media Breakfast NH (#smbnh) at the Manchester, NH Public Library I gave this talk about my rules for community. I call it ‘Kev’s Rules for Community’.

My rules are simple:

1. Be Real
2. Address the Need
3. Be the Gatekeeper

I have a Google Voice number (originally from a Grand Central beta invite.) I love the concept, but I don’t publish my Google Voice number.  Why am I passing up on making use of cool technology that can route my calls to me wherever I am?  Fear of audio advertising.

Google Voice may add audio advertising

We’re inundated with advertising throughout our online experience, watching movies, and for some even on their mobile phones.  I see a phone call as more personal and intimate than any other form of electronic communication.  My friends and family have had my phone numbers for years – I saw Google Voice as a great opportunity to centralize my phone numbers into one published number that could follow me around.  But, if a customer is calling me for work or a prospect is calling me about consulting, the last thing I want them to hear are advertisements while they’re waiting for me to get to the phone.  Especially when there’s an opportunity the advertisement could be from a competitor or from some company/service I wouldn’t want to be associated with or perceived as endorsing.

For me, it’s one thing to see ads in the sidebar of a web site (easily ignored), but an entirely different story to force callers to endure them while waiting to speak with me.  You could make the argument that I could just let everyone know if I ever decided to stop using Google Voice or take the number with me.  I’m under no illusion that the agreements Google puts me through give me any real say in the matter.  I see phone calls for more important/urgent real-time communications.

If the point of engaging online is to connect and stay connected, would you take the risk that some may not be able to find you later on, when some new tech fad comes along and makes Google Voice look “so 2009″?

-k

Went to see Underworld: Rise of the Lycans last weekend.  We usually watch our movies at home (via NetFlix) so going to the movie theater is a real treat.  We decided to go to CineMagic in Merrimack, NH, because of their stadium seating and generally good service.

The theater for Underworld was barely a quarter full, though getting tickets and getting through the lobby was an adventure-it was packed!  (Tip: always check the lobby for automated ticket kiosks, before you wait in the big line saved us about 15 minutes of waiting in line!)

We got our munchies and settled in.  From the start of the movie I thought the volume was pretty low.  About thirty minutes in, it still seemed low to me.  My hearing isn’t always the greatest, so I asked one of my friends and he agreed.  Being the shy quiet person I am, I left the theater and flagged down the first two theater employees I came across.  Explained the volume problem and went back to my seat.  Saw one of the employees come in to check, then leave.  I figured my problems were solved.

Well, the movie didn’t seem to get any louder.  Some of the dialogue in the movie is pretty quiet, so it definitely impacted my enjoyment.  At one point it was so quiet I could hear the leather shoes of the woman behind me squeaking on the floor.

We made it to the end of the movie.  The movie was pretty good, though my experience was rough.  It’s hard to immerse yourself in the movie if you have to actively work to hear dialogue and follow along.  One of my friends said she found herself sitting forward in her seat through part of the movie trying to hear better.   As soon as I left the theater, I went directly to the lobby to locate the manager.  He was easy to find as the employees I spoke with knew where he was in the theater (a good sign.)

I explained to him that the audio levels were too low. He knew someone had left the theater and knew one of his employees had gone upstairs to adjust the audio levels.  He delicately mentioned they need to be careful not to increase the volume too much.  At that time, one of my friends came up to us and added her experience to the conversation.  He apologized and explained the volume was turned up, but obviously not enough.  He said he’d talk to the employee about it.  He offered to give us each a “Rain Check” (being the frugal person I am I accepted.)

The “Rain Check” was a nice touch, but definitely not why I left the theater feeling good.  I’ve received vouchers in the past and still left places feeling like I’d been kicked in the teeth.  In thinking about the experience, there are a few factors:

• the employees knew where the manager was in the theater
• the manager knew there had been a problem during the movie, even though he hadn’t been present for the discussion
• the manager knew the employee had tried to fix the problem
• the manager was careful to balance the needs of all theater goers with ours in the conversation – and he was very genuine about it

The only thing he could have done better would be to make sure there was follow-up when the volume issue was “fixed.” I hope his employees learn from his example.

This summer at a family reunion we started our nephew from Germany on the path of collecting all the US state quarters. It’s a great way to learn about the 50 US states and he was excited to get started. What I didn’t realize is that the books are made to collect state quarters from the Philadelphia and Denver mints — the small set of quarters we had set aside to get him started wasn’t even close to what was needed. We’ve made some progress, but could use help.

If you have any quarters that match what’s listed below, please let me know.

Found Since Posting

We want to help our nephew finish his collection by the end of this year. I’ll buy your quarter with a quarter. Let me know if you can help!

Thanks!

Update 11/17/2008 1:00 pm EDT : Updated again to reflect more quarters that came in from my mom. Thanks mom!!

Update 11/6/2008 3:00 pm EDT: I’ve updated the list to reflect the quarters a friend I used to work with over 8 years ago is sending.

Update 11/26/2009 9:00 am EST: My friend Jaie just emailed me that she had a D-Hawaii quarter and I realized I never took the time to update this post to let you know that with everyone’s help our nephew was able to finish his collection this summer! Thank you!!!