Just a short post to voice my disatisfaction with Flickr Uploadr. The tool is infuriating. It never, ever works the first time. Despite the fact I’m a Flickr Pro paying customer, it’s almost impossible for me to get images onto the service.

If it fails, you must again enter all of your tags and descriptions before you try again. Agggrrr!!!!

Picasa on the other hand uploads pictures to Picasaweb flawlessly every time. Same computer, same images, same everything.

What’s the bloody difference?

It’s been around forever. So why don’t companies use it?  (yes, even with call centers)

This case was Chase Credit Card Customer Service - (caller ID to the right) and they immediately ask for my credit card number. Uh… okay. Not.

So I look up the number on whocalled.us, and find out it’s Chase bank, and 28 minutes later I learn that it was just a silly charge they wanted to verify.

Oh, by the way, they had frozen my Visa card, and when they called, they did NOT leave a message.  I guess I was supposed to figure it out the next time I used my credit card.  How sweet.

Why couldn’t a company like Chase just turn on bloody caller ID and say “Chase Customer Support”

I removed this post because it simply wasn’t worth it for me to argue the points, and the discussion on Sphinn and this post at piloSEO are probably sufficient.

No wait, here’s another good rant on it.

“Tis the season” …for brain-dead vacation autoresponders.

Is it worth it?

Do you really need to reply to everyone while on vacation?

Chances are you don’t and the risks outweigh the benefits. In this blogger’s opinion. Some autoresponders can be set up in a smart way - such as sending the reply “only once.” But based on my experience, this is the exception. Most just flip them on and bolt, leaving everyone else to clean up the mess. If you were the one everyone depended on to protect the nuclear arsenal today, I could understand, but c’mon.

If you’re thinking of posting one today…think about this:

• Don’t autoreply to spammers: Your reply says a lot about your email set up. It can be used to increase the value of your email address to Spammers, and feeds the SPAM economy.
• Don’t start loops: his still happens, even in 2007. Some email programs are ridiculously stupid, and will auto-reply to auto-replies. Please make sure yours doesn’t. It just saturates the internet with crap, and makes IT managers have to answer the phone when they should be relaxing with family.
• Don’t reply to mailing lists: If you’re on a listserve, you could be sending your autoreply to lots of grumbling people who have no clue who you are .. you become the “wierdo with the autoreply.”
• If it’s broken, or sends tons of replies, it makes you look like a dweeb: Any autoresponder screwup makes you look like a dweeb. Wouldn’t it be better not to send them at all?
• It makes work for everyone else: Many of us get over 200 emails per day. We have to go through it. And we previously had you marked as an allowed sender. So you’re breaking trust, at least on the email side.
• Telling people about your tropical plans is snobbish.  It’s “nice” you’re going to the Bahamas or to Fiji.  But please keep it to yourself on your autoreply.  Otherwise I might just send an anonymous email to the border patrol about some alleged exploits you’re off to take part in on that little tropical island hop*.
• Thieves use autoreplies? Urban Legend? It’s probably unlikely. Keeping your departure and return time ambiguous is a good idea for lots of reasons… LOL. Making note that others may be in the office, but they won’t be checking your email won’t hurt anything. I can find out exactly who you are, where you work, and what brand of toothbrush you use in today’s world, but the chances of thieves using this is probably lower than some warnings make it out to be.
• Voice mail is very different than email and vacation messages are fine there, IMO. If I call you, and I need you, and I wait to HEAR your message, then I asked for it. Details about your absence might help those who REALLY want to reach you, so that’s the place for the info about your fancy trip.

*  C’mon.  I’m kidding.

I thought about how ridiculous this product was. It was a good idea to get all the charge-ables together in a single place. It was not a good idea to do it all on paper and never test the feasibility. But it clearly doesn’t work in the real world. The solution? Shall we redesign it so it really works? Nahhhh…Let’s SELL IT ANYWAY!

Talk about crying wolf.

See this sleazy sales-letter-masquerading as a “Fraud Alert.”  letter from Citibank.  But as you read it, keep in mind;

a) Citibank has sent us BOTH cards they referred to in the letter unsolicited.  We trashed both of the cards.  We have just two cards - one for home and one for business.  And have for over 10 years.

b) Since activation of cards is a controlled process where the caller must either call from their home number or answer a series of security questions, the letter’s warnings are bogus.

c) The timing for those drowning in credit card debt is perfect.  (”honey, I forgot, we can max out that Sears card too - let’s go Christmas shopping!”)

Well,  I guess they got what they wanted.  I opened it.