It's been crazy busy this month and I'm really sorry my posts have been on the scarce side.
However, check out my inaugural post on the Canadian Marketing Association's blog!
Next step: get one of those fedoras with a card tucked into one side that says PRESS.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
GoDaddy! No, seriously, just Go.
Recently I registered three domain names: two domain versions of my own name and the third name for my 2-year-old nephew. I've grabbed it for him in case he wants to use it when he grows up enough to need it. I hear this is a big trend with new parents these days.
I used GoDaddy, despite their terrible TV commercials (I do not know what happens after the "hot" GoDaddy lady get stopped by the "hot" lady cop, nor do I care). Registering your domain name with GoDaddy is very easy and inexpensive: $11 per year and boom, your domain name is reserved, to do with what you will. In the case of www.kerindonahue.com, perhaps I'll build myself a website, or maybe I won't, but the option now open to me and no other Kerin Donahues. Because there are so many of us, doncha know.
As I said, the process was really simple. The GoDaddy website is a testament to bad website design: way too cluttered and confusing, and overwhelmingly geared towards the young male segment of the population. But just to register a domain name was as easy as setting up an account and clicking a few buttons.
If left like that, I would recommend GoDaddy's services. But they just wouldn't leave it alone...
I receive about two emails per day slogging GoDaddy services, services that I'm not only aware of, but have already turned down repeatedly during the registration process. Honestly, how many times do I have to say NO? It's like a bad blind date when you realize you're way more attractive than the other person and you spend the evening kyboshing their sad pleas for future dates. No, I will not attend the opera with you on Friday. No, I will not come to your house and listen to slow jazz and sip some mojitos. No, I will not plan a romantic getaway with you to the Cayman Islands.
And today! Today, I received a call from the GoDaddy customer service department. They wanted to welcome and thank me for my patronage. Well, you're welcome, I said. They wanted to know if there was anything else they could do for me to make my GoDaddy experience more rewarding. I said, not at this time, but thanks for asking. Then they asked me if I knew the difference between 'Public' and 'Private' domains. I said, yes - but why do you ask? The rep then told me that, as my domains were 'public' that my name and contact information was "out there", available on the business registry to anyone who cared to seek it out. I could be setting myself up as a target for all sorts of unscrupulous telemarketers out to target me for their nefarious goods and services! Oh noes!
For an extra $8.99 (per year, per domain), he informed me, GoDaddy would switch my domains to 'private' and so any teaming hordes of shady muckrakers out there would be stonewalled by GoDaddy's benign umbrella. Essentially for an extra $50 a year, I could be sure that I would be safe from the unwanted attentions of annoying salespeople like...uh...GoDaddy.
H'okay then. I politely declined the service. I like to live on the edge, so I'm going to take my chances. I asked Doug (who has had a public website registered to him for over a year now) if felt he had:
- A surge of email spam as a result of his being 'public'? Answer: No.
- Felt he was receiving more phone calls or mail from telemarketers? Answer: No.
- The need to beat off squads of bloodthirsty ninja telemarketers who would leap at him from the bushes adjacent to our building? Answer: Kerin, it's time to switch to decaf, kay?
I really don't like 'scare-the-dumb-consumer' selling tactics - like the company from overseas who keeps calling me to sell me a filtered water system and then gets all pissy when I tell them that my tap water in Toronto is perfectly safe. Offering a good deal on a product is one thing - implying that bad things will happen to someone who is already paying you money for your services is just plain rude.
You're a bad date, GoDaddy! I will absolutely NOT be going on a romantic getaway with you. Stop calling me.
I used GoDaddy, despite their terrible TV commercials (I do not know what happens after the "hot" GoDaddy lady get stopped by the "hot" lady cop, nor do I care). Registering your domain name with GoDaddy is very easy and inexpensive: $11 per year and boom, your domain name is reserved, to do with what you will. In the case of www.kerindonahue.com, perhaps I'll build myself a website, or maybe I won't, but the option now open to me and no other Kerin Donahues. Because there are so many of us, doncha know.
As I said, the process was really simple. The GoDaddy website is a testament to bad website design: way too cluttered and confusing, and overwhelmingly geared towards the young male segment of the population. But just to register a domain name was as easy as setting up an account and clicking a few buttons.
If left like that, I would recommend GoDaddy's services. But they just wouldn't leave it alone...
I receive about two emails per day slogging GoDaddy services, services that I'm not only aware of, but have already turned down repeatedly during the registration process. Honestly, how many times do I have to say NO? It's like a bad blind date when you realize you're way more attractive than the other person and you spend the evening kyboshing their sad pleas for future dates. No, I will not attend the opera with you on Friday. No, I will not come to your house and listen to slow jazz and sip some mojitos. No, I will not plan a romantic getaway with you to the Cayman Islands.
And today! Today, I received a call from the GoDaddy customer service department. They wanted to welcome and thank me for my patronage. Well, you're welcome, I said. They wanted to know if there was anything else they could do for me to make my GoDaddy experience more rewarding. I said, not at this time, but thanks for asking. Then they asked me if I knew the difference between 'Public' and 'Private' domains. I said, yes - but why do you ask? The rep then told me that, as my domains were 'public' that my name and contact information was "out there", available on the business registry to anyone who cared to seek it out. I could be setting myself up as a target for all sorts of unscrupulous telemarketers out to target me for their nefarious goods and services! Oh noes!
For an extra $8.99 (per year, per domain), he informed me, GoDaddy would switch my domains to 'private' and so any teaming hordes of shady muckrakers out there would be stonewalled by GoDaddy's benign umbrella. Essentially for an extra $50 a year, I could be sure that I would be safe from the unwanted attentions of annoying salespeople like...uh...GoDaddy.
H'okay then. I politely declined the service. I like to live on the edge, so I'm going to take my chances. I asked Doug (who has had a public website registered to him for over a year now) if felt he had:
- A surge of email spam as a result of his being 'public'? Answer: No.
- Felt he was receiving more phone calls or mail from telemarketers? Answer: No.
- The need to beat off squads of bloodthirsty ninja telemarketers who would leap at him from the bushes adjacent to our building? Answer: Kerin, it's time to switch to decaf, kay?
I really don't like 'scare-the-dumb-consumer' selling tactics - like the company from overseas who keeps calling me to sell me a filtered water system and then gets all pissy when I tell them that my tap water in Toronto is perfectly safe. Offering a good deal on a product is one thing - implying that bad things will happen to someone who is already paying you money for your services is just plain rude.
You're a bad date, GoDaddy! I will absolutely NOT be going on a romantic getaway with you. Stop calling me.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
SlapChop: Success or Shenanigans?
Just before the holidays this year, I had but two goals:
#1- Peace on earth and goodwill towards man (and woman);
#2- Acquire a 'SlapChop' (and the accompanying 'Graty').
#2 was accomplished quite handily when I was holiday shopping on the 24th. I was ran into a cluster of young people hawking SlapChopses (SlapChopi?), for less than the MSRP of $20 + tax and shipping. I can only assume their stock had 'fallen off a truck' somewhere. Contrary to my usual M.O. of caution vis a vis purchasing new kitchen appliances, I snapped one up for $15, then and there WITHOUT doing the following:
- Visiting the official SlapChop website;
- Reading user reviews of the product;
- Asking my network of friends if they had purchased a SlapChop, and if they did, what did they think of the product.
For the first time in years, I succumbed to direct response advertising - in this case, a TV spot (you know the one - "You'll love my nuts!"), without doing any research whatsoever. It was a true impulse purchase triggered solely by an infomercial. As a lass who's pretty savvy when it comes to advertising, especially 1-2-1 campaigns, I should really know better.
But come on... fifteen bucks? And it comes with the Graty cheese grater? And I can save all that money on expensive dessert toppings? It's a steal, right? God, I've practically bankrupted myself recently on those pricey toppings. I NEED a SlapChop!
So now, I've got one. And boy, does it suck. There's no directions in the box - you pretty much have to figure it out by trial an error. My first efforts at chopping (an onion, some peanuts, a red pepper and some garlic - making pad thai) were disastrous.
Slapchop results: Seduced, then abandoned! And it didn't even buy me a drink first!
Indignantly I took to the internet forums. I expected to soothe myself in a balm of other pissy reviews of this lackluster product. But to my surprise, the reviews were fairly good. In fact, some pretty reasonable-seeming people out there are conservatively praising the SlapChop. Wait, what? But it doesn't work! Maybe mine's broken?
Well, as I mentioned, there's no written instructions. But I found a review on YouTube, called "Cooking with Jack" where Jack gives the SlapChop a test run, straight from the box - just like I did.
Ahhh...I see...Watching his review, I know now where I went wrong: you really have to wallop the hell out of the handle. I was pussy-footing around with it, sort of 'pump-chopping', not truly 'SLAP-chopping'. Regarding that last sentence: Please keep your dirty-minded comments to yourselves.
I've checked out a few other online sources to confirm my findings and then tried my SlapChop again. It works! It especially works if you don't use the cup thingy and just chop directly onto your cutting board. Success! WOOT!
Wow, thanks Internet! Is there anything you can't do? Now get to work on #1. I expect peace on earth by March, at the earliest.
#1- Peace on earth and goodwill towards man (and woman);
#2- Acquire a 'SlapChop' (and the accompanying 'Graty').
#2 was accomplished quite handily when I was holiday shopping on the 24th. I was ran into a cluster of young people hawking SlapChopses (SlapChopi?), for less than the MSRP of $20 + tax and shipping. I can only assume their stock had 'fallen off a truck' somewhere. Contrary to my usual M.O. of caution vis a vis purchasing new kitchen appliances, I snapped one up for $15, then and there WITHOUT doing the following:
- Visiting the official SlapChop website;
- Reading user reviews of the product;
- Asking my network of friends if they had purchased a SlapChop, and if they did, what did they think of the product.
For the first time in years, I succumbed to direct response advertising - in this case, a TV spot (you know the one - "You'll love my nuts!"), without doing any research whatsoever. It was a true impulse purchase triggered solely by an infomercial. As a lass who's pretty savvy when it comes to advertising, especially 1-2-1 campaigns, I should really know better.
But come on... fifteen bucks? And it comes with the Graty cheese grater? And I can save all that money on expensive dessert toppings? It's a steal, right? God, I've practically bankrupted myself recently on those pricey toppings. I NEED a SlapChop!
So now, I've got one. And boy, does it suck. There's no directions in the box - you pretty much have to figure it out by trial an error. My first efforts at chopping (an onion, some peanuts, a red pepper and some garlic - making pad thai) were disastrous.
Slapchop results: Seduced, then abandoned! And it didn't even buy me a drink first!
Indignantly I took to the internet forums. I expected to soothe myself in a balm of other pissy reviews of this lackluster product. But to my surprise, the reviews were fairly good. In fact, some pretty reasonable-seeming people out there are conservatively praising the SlapChop. Wait, what? But it doesn't work! Maybe mine's broken?
Well, as I mentioned, there's no written instructions. But I found a review on YouTube, called "Cooking with Jack" where Jack gives the SlapChop a test run, straight from the box - just like I did.
Ahhh...I see...Watching his review, I know now where I went wrong: you really have to wallop the hell out of the handle. I was pussy-footing around with it, sort of 'pump-chopping', not truly 'SLAP-chopping'. Regarding that last sentence: Please keep your dirty-minded comments to yourselves.
I've checked out a few other online sources to confirm my findings and then tried my SlapChop again. It works! It especially works if you don't use the cup thingy and just chop directly onto your cutting board. Success! WOOT!
Wow, thanks Internet! Is there anything you can't do? Now get to work on #1. I expect peace on earth by March, at the earliest.
Friday, January 1, 2010
The Aughts: A decade in review
Was it a good decade? A bad decade? Just a decade? I'm hearing a lot of complaints from friends and family, but is this just backlash from super-crappy 2009 fallout? Too soon to say, perhaps.
I'm lucky – I was born in 1970, which means a decade can be measured and debated as a whole unit. For instance, I was a teenager in the eighties. I was a nineties Gen X'er in my 20's. And now, I've been a thirty-something in the Aughts. It's all very tidy.
Being in your thirties was (is, until August) great. It's a fantastic time: you're (usually) mature enough to appreciate your life and have sufficient disposable income to enjoy it. (It helps that I never had kids.) It's also the first time I ever felt like, wow – I KNOW stuff. I'm knowledgeable and confident enough to contribute to the universe based on my intelligence and experience. Go me!
I find that as I approach the big four-oh, I'm more likely to look back and do the “if I knew back then what I know now” game. The internet generation of today can't fathom the trials of my youth:
- Learning to type on a manual typewriter
- Information search: if you wanted to know something you had to go to the library, read a newspaper or watch the news.
- Fearing impending nuclear war (see: Rocky IV and Red Dawn)
But looking at a decade as measure of change is always interesting to me, specifically for this decade. What was I doing then? What am I doing now? Sticking to the purely frivolous (because let's start the new year on a lighter note), here's a decade in review:
Music
What was I listening to in 2000?: A pretty eclectic range. Everything was game except Jazz and Country. CD's angered me – if a band didn't have at least 3 songs I liked on their album, I wouldn't buy it. Consequently, my music collection consisted of 80's and 90's pop and alternative rock and I had a pocket radio and headphones that I'd wear on the bus.
In 2009: Pretty much the same musical tastes but thanks to the internet, I haven't bought a CD in years. I despise iPod products (not the device, but the software that goes with it). I have a cheap Copy MP3 Player that, on any given day, has the weirdest mix of genres, in the universe.
First 5 songs currently on my player: F*** You, (Lily Allen), Spirit in the Sky (Dr. And the Medics), Til I Collapse (Eminem), Poker Face (Lady Gaga), The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (Gordon Lightfoot).
Computers
What was I using in 2000: I have absolutely no idea – it was purchased and set up by my (now) ex. It was a PC and I was glued to it nightly to feed my MSN Messaging addiction. I planned my entire 2000 Vegas wedding using the Internet. The ceremony was webcast so that my elderly grandparents could watch - totally cutting edge!
Computer In 2009: I have absolutely no idea – it was purchased and set up by my boyfriend, Doug. It's a PC and I'm glued to it day and night to feed my addiction to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and StumbleUpon and my blogs.
Games
In 2000: Loved me some FreeCell. Sony PlayStation: Resident Evil, Parasite Eve. PC game of choice: Diablo!
In 2009: World of Warcraft still blows my mind. We have an Xbox 360 which, if it weren't for Doug, I would use as a coaster I would love to get a Wii, but I'm so competitive and Doug's so naturally good at video games, I'm afraid it would ruin our relationship.
Cellphones
In 2000: Didn't have one. I thought they were intrusive and people who took calls while they were with real, live people were obnoxious and rude.
In 2009: I have Nokia slider phone that looks like a box of Tic Tacs and I'm desperate for a Smartphone of my very own. However I find that Texters and Smartphone users who diddle with their devices while they were with real, live people are obnoxious and rude.
Television
In 2000 I owned: A 32” Goldstar inherited from my parents.
In 2009 I have: A 42” LCD flatscreen with home theatre.
2000 shows I watched: Friends, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gilmore Girls, Angel. I would not make plans outside the house during these time slots. I owned a ton of VHS tapes and rented more from Blockbuster.
2009 shows: I don't really watch TV anymore. I've downloaded or watched on the internet the following shows: Glee, The Vampire Diaries, The Big Bang Theory, America's Next Top Model, Project Runway, Canada's Worst Driver. I haven't been to a video store in years. I keep everything on my hard drive and transport stuff via USB.
Books
In 2000 I read: I'm too embarrassed to tell you. But I read a lot.
In 2009 I read: See above. But I hope they sort out E-readers soon (as per my previous post).
So, what does it mean? What have I learned?
Eh. I'm not going to ramble on here about the impact the internet, mobility or social media has had on my life. Isn't that kind of obvious to us all by now?
I will say: Thanks, two-thousandses. We had our ups and downs and I'm still not speaking to 2009, but overall it was a lot of fun. I will give your regards to the... what the heck are we calling THIS decade???
I'm lucky – I was born in 1970, which means a decade can be measured and debated as a whole unit. For instance, I was a teenager in the eighties. I was a nineties Gen X'er in my 20's. And now, I've been a thirty-something in the Aughts. It's all very tidy.
Being in your thirties was (is, until August) great. It's a fantastic time: you're (usually) mature enough to appreciate your life and have sufficient disposable income to enjoy it. (It helps that I never had kids.) It's also the first time I ever felt like, wow – I KNOW stuff. I'm knowledgeable and confident enough to contribute to the universe based on my intelligence and experience. Go me!
I find that as I approach the big four-oh, I'm more likely to look back and do the “if I knew back then what I know now” game. The internet generation of today can't fathom the trials of my youth:
- Learning to type on a manual typewriter
- Information search: if you wanted to know something you had to go to the library, read a newspaper or watch the news.
- Fearing impending nuclear war (see: Rocky IV and Red Dawn)
But looking at a decade as measure of change is always interesting to me, specifically for this decade. What was I doing then? What am I doing now? Sticking to the purely frivolous (because let's start the new year on a lighter note), here's a decade in review:
Music
What was I listening to in 2000?: A pretty eclectic range. Everything was game except Jazz and Country. CD's angered me – if a band didn't have at least 3 songs I liked on their album, I wouldn't buy it. Consequently, my music collection consisted of 80's and 90's pop and alternative rock and I had a pocket radio and headphones that I'd wear on the bus.
In 2009: Pretty much the same musical tastes but thanks to the internet, I haven't bought a CD in years. I despise iPod products (not the device, but the software that goes with it). I have a cheap Copy MP3 Player that, on any given day, has the weirdest mix of genres, in the universe.
First 5 songs currently on my player: F*** You, (Lily Allen), Spirit in the Sky (Dr. And the Medics), Til I Collapse (Eminem), Poker Face (Lady Gaga), The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (Gordon Lightfoot).
Computers
What was I using in 2000: I have absolutely no idea – it was purchased and set up by my (now) ex. It was a PC and I was glued to it nightly to feed my MSN Messaging addiction. I planned my entire 2000 Vegas wedding using the Internet. The ceremony was webcast so that my elderly grandparents could watch - totally cutting edge!
Computer In 2009: I have absolutely no idea – it was purchased and set up by my boyfriend, Doug. It's a PC and I'm glued to it day and night to feed my addiction to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and StumbleUpon and my blogs.
Games
In 2000: Loved me some FreeCell. Sony PlayStation: Resident Evil, Parasite Eve. PC game of choice: Diablo!
In 2009: World of Warcraft still blows my mind. We have an Xbox 360 which, if it weren't for Doug, I would use as a coaster I would love to get a Wii, but I'm so competitive and Doug's so naturally good at video games, I'm afraid it would ruin our relationship.
Cellphones
In 2000: Didn't have one. I thought they were intrusive and people who took calls while they were with real, live people were obnoxious and rude.
In 2009: I have Nokia slider phone that looks like a box of Tic Tacs and I'm desperate for a Smartphone of my very own. However I find that Texters and Smartphone users who diddle with their devices while they were with real, live people are obnoxious and rude.
Television
In 2000 I owned: A 32” Goldstar inherited from my parents.
In 2009 I have: A 42” LCD flatscreen with home theatre.
2000 shows I watched: Friends, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gilmore Girls, Angel. I would not make plans outside the house during these time slots. I owned a ton of VHS tapes and rented more from Blockbuster.
2009 shows: I don't really watch TV anymore. I've downloaded or watched on the internet the following shows: Glee, The Vampire Diaries, The Big Bang Theory, America's Next Top Model, Project Runway, Canada's Worst Driver. I haven't been to a video store in years. I keep everything on my hard drive and transport stuff via USB.
Books
In 2000 I read: I'm too embarrassed to tell you. But I read a lot.
In 2009 I read: See above. But I hope they sort out E-readers soon (as per my previous post).
So, what does it mean? What have I learned?
Eh. I'm not going to ramble on here about the impact the internet, mobility or social media has had on my life. Isn't that kind of obvious to us all by now?
I will say: Thanks, two-thousandses. We had our ups and downs and I'm still not speaking to 2009, but overall it was a lot of fun. I will give your regards to the... what the heck are we calling THIS decade???
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