Monthly Archives: May 2010

A frivolous blog about hold music

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Phone1225285499

I’m beginning to think that my experience as an over the phone customer is not based on how long I have to wait to talk to someone, but what their choice of hold music is. Today, before I spoke to a technician at my (probably former) ISP, I knew things were going to be bad because of the canned music at the other end of the phone, punctuated by crackles, then back to the depressing low-grade instrumental music.

I notice that a lot of companies play some kind of ‘greatest NZ hits’ compilation – with Brooke Fraser’s first album on high rotation. I think Brooke is amazing, but I think playing Better (Lyrics: I would do anything… to make you better) when a company is not prepared to live up to it, is just asking for customers to be demanding/disappointed. The fact that they’re playing a song that was a hit in 2003, could be construed to mean that they haven’t updated their systems in seven years. Of course, they’re probably trying to show that they’re proudly kiwi, but what company is these days?

Like most people, I can’t spend long on hold without getting furious, but there have been times when a good music choice has kept be holding on with a smile on my face, ready to do business with the person who eventuates on the other end of the line, rather than spending the wait time thinking of reasons why I’m annoyed with their service.

Good hold music should match the customers demographic and it shouldn’t crackle. It doesn’t have to be completely up to the minute, but something upbeat helps. An ‘aw, I love that song’ moment would be ideal.

I’m tempted to phone all the companies I regularly pay money to, just to see what their hold music is like. Any who play the feelers or Nickelback would get replaced by a more customer focused brand.

This is a silly blog… but do you know of any companies who are doing it well? We’re a generation of music lovers – are companies missing out on a way to get us on side?

Blog: Life in every shade

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Josie_blog

This time a week ago I was getting ready to embark on my Twitter Challenge adventure. Seven days later and I’m wrapped up warmly at home, trying to overcome an annoying cold and looking forward to an extremely mellow weekend.

Before I begin my self indulgent evening in front of the telly, I have a thought to get out about life. 

During the same 40 hours that I was doing the challenge, a whole lot of other stuff was going down. Some major things happened in the lives of people near and dear to me. A close friend lost her sister. Another friend left on an undoubtedly life changing trip to Haiti. Other friends were having a baby shower.

Since the challenge it has been back to everyday life – working, housework etc, and also planning an exciting trip with friends to the land of spectacular kitsch, Las Vegas.

Going from being a charity fundraising machine to planning a Vegas holiday is a big shift in a few days, but is an example of the idea I have wandering around my head.

Life is rough, inspirational, fun, exciting, disappointing, overwhelming and precious. Sometimes it is one, sometimes another. Often it is lots of these things at once. My advice to you and me is to give yourself a break, cry when you have to, laugh at everything, plan adventures with friends and support people doing good things.

A wee plug for my friend Tash who is in Haiti right now. She’s collecting stories and photos and hoping to connect people here with what’s going on over there.

The photo on this blog was taken by Tash today -a beautiful girl, an orphan at Son of God orphanage at Carrefour, Haiti that is being run by a doctor, his wife and family. Tash is only there for a few days – read about what she’s up to at www.tashmcgill.com. 

#twitterchallenge fundraising update

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People have asked what I raised (forgive me for the cheesy but heartfelt statement I’m about to make) but it really is a case of what WE raised. This challenge was my idea and I certainly wore myself out over 40 Hour Famine weekend, but there were many contributions from others.  I’ll stop before I sound like I’m giving an Oscar speech, but first let me say thank you again. The money we raised is enough to make a serious difference in the lives of children overseas. Here’s a link that tells you more about how far it will go.

Total to date

$1545 – 40 Hour Famine page www.famine.org.nz/josiecampbell

$160 – cash sponsorship

$505 – Website auction thanks to Adage Business and The Web Co

That is $2210 already!

The iPhone that I did my updates on is up to $910 on Trade Me (thanks Vodafone) so the final total will be at least $3120. Amazing! 

Update – a bit more sponsorship in and the phone went for $1050, so it looks like the #twitterchallenge raised $3310. That is enough money to go a really long way in the developing world!

I have a collection bucket to pick up at Cafe Crave and people may still sponsor me online so will keep updating the page! 

Another update! Total now $3435. :)

Updated 29/5 $3487.80 – thanks Cafe Crave for putting a collection bucket in the cafe and Chris for sponsoring me!

Look! @EMIMusicNZ are holding a @30SECONDSTOMARS treasure hunt & we have your 31st clue! win a chance to meet 30STM

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EMI Music NZ had so much fun hanging out with the winners of their 30 Seconds To Mars 'This Is War' scavenger hunt album listening party, that they've decided to do it all again! But bigger and better!!

We know that you are just as excited as we are, that 30 Seconds To Mars are finally coming to New Zealand to play their very first show here, ever. Tuesday, 3rd of August, at Auckland's Logan Campbell Centre; write it down! The date is ALL AGES and tickets go on sale from 9AM, on Thursday the 15th April from Ticketek.

So! As we all count down the days until August, EMI Music NZ have devised an online scavenger hunt to help you get closer to your favourite band… This is the treasure hunt, to end all treasure hunts, for fans of 30 Seconds To Mars. The grand-prize winner will not only win themselves two tickets to the Auckland show, they will also win the chance for themself and their best friend, to meet 30 Seconds To Mars at a special meet and greet event… AND a Masi speciale fixed gear bike (courtesy of Masi & T.White's Bikes) – think the bikes from the 'Kings And Queens' music video – which you can get the band to sign when you meet them! There will also be three runner-up winners who will win tickets to the show and 30 Seconds To Mars meet and greet, for themselves and a friend.

Beginning Thursday April 8th, there will be a new clue released each weekday at 4:30PM. Each 'hunt'-week will run from Thursday to Wednesday and you will need to collect all five clues from each week, to find the secret location of jigsaw puzzle pieces online. There are ten puzzle pieces to hunt out and from them, you will be able to create a ticket. Once you have put together the jigsaw puzzle to form the ticket, you need to e-mail it and your contact phone number to iamasecretsecret@gmail.com pronto! The very first person to e-mail a correctly solved ticket, will win themselves first place and the grand prize!!

The next (second) person who e-mails a correctly solved ticket, will win runner-up prizes. There will be two more runner-up placings up for grabs… From every correctly solved ticket that is received (excluding those that have already won), two lots of three people will be drawn at random to fight it out in two separate 30 Seconds To Mars trivia quizzes, with the winner from each quiz being awarded the two final runners-up placings in the overall treasure hunt!

EMI Music NZ will also be giving away spot prizes of 30 Seconds To Mars NZ tour posters, stickers, CD's and band merch throughout the entire hunt.

HOW TO PLAY:
- Follow EMI Music NZ on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EMIMusicNZ
– Hunt out each new clue, every weekday at 4:30PM.
- Solve all five clues in a hunt-week. Each clue will give you one letter or character.
- Make sure to keep all the letters/characters that you solve within a hunt-week, in order!
– With all the letters/characters in order, insert them straight into the end of this web-address: http://www.theinsoundfromwayout.co.nz/
- If you solved all the weeks clues correctly, you will be taken to a web-page which will contain a picture file of a jigsaw puzzle piece. Save it to your computer!
– The final clue of the final hunt-week will be released at 4:30PM on Wednesday, the 16th of June. As soon as you have found the final jigsaw puzzle piece, you will need to put together the jigsaw using all ten pieces to create a ticket.
– As soon as you have managed to put together the ticket, e-mail it as a .JPG file with your full name and contact phone number to: iamasecretsecret@gmail.com
– If you are not one the first two to e-mail a correctly solved ticket, you will have one final chance at being drawn at random to take part in a 30 Seconds To Mars trivia competition on Thursday June 17th to win one of the final runners-up placings in the treasure hunt.

Thinking For You has your thirty-first clue in the treasure hunt, below…
'This Is War' Clue #31. The average human heart, beats at 72 beats per minute… How many layers is the outer wall of the human heart composed of?

Become a fan of T.White's Bikes at: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=39451529746
Read the terms and conditions that apply at: http://www.theinsoundfromwayout.co.nz/30stm-treasurehunt-termscondition/
For more competition details and FAQ: http://www.theinsoundfromwayout.co.nz/30stm-treasurehunt/

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#twitterchallenge Bussing tables and smiling

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Thanks so much to the fab team at my weekday hangout @reslau. They let me serve my friends and gave a generous cut for the fundraising effort AND fed me too!

I’m stoked that I didn’t drop anything. Thanks to the kind people who showed up and kept me busy enquiring after non-existent menu items.

It has been a long day, but a great one! I’m having a quick taste of the Yellow Sweet Tweet at @giapo and then off to bed. Whew! Getting up super early to go make coffee with @LouDxx at Takapuna Markets. See you there?

#twitterchallenge Making stuff

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A lovely group of ladies and I have just created works of art at @nzscrapbook. The food pictured was made for us by Alan, the brother of Kate who is holding the treats. More on that in a later post as there is a cool story behind it.

Thanks to @angelfish007 and @nzscrapbook for your generosity. Thanks Big Al for the gourmet baking.

Driving to @reslau at Elliott Stables to work a shift. Come and say hi.

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Sent from my iPhone

#twitterchallenge A little bit of Horseplay

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I’d been looking forward to going to Horseplay because I adore a bit of Kiwiana and I was keen to see what Lionel was up to these days.

An unexpected benefit of going to the matinee was the delightfully well groomed and (let’s be honest) senior audience. Not only did @ohthescandal and I feel extemely youthful but we thoroughly enjoyed the giggles and cackles every time something naughty was said.

A great piece of work, excellent cast and chock full of puns. Huzzah! Thanks Auckland Theatre Company.

Off to Scrapbooking class. Creativity abounds.

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Sent from my iPhone

#twitterchallenge Geocache-o-Rama

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We are driving to the next cache on my geocaching adventure with @paudecanela and @geogeek who are kindly taking me around Auckland. So far we are three from three and I have found two them, yay me!

Geocaching started in 2000 after the Clinton administration turned satellites off selective availability. This meant the general public had access to accurate satellite information.

Chris and Vera have found nearly 1500 caches and hidden around 150. They’ve taken part in the sport in places like Portugal and China as well as around New Zealand.

My verdict? Pretty fun actually! Good exercise too.

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Sent from my iPhone

#twitterchallenge Morning goodness

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Yello everyone. I’m the first to admit that it is not much of a challenge to be taken to breakfast at one of my favourite places @cafecrave for breakfast. It is a lovely start to what is going to a huge day of activities.

Thank you to @cateowen for buying me breakfast and @chandalier for the company. Please support Kate who is doing her own 40 Hour Famine challenge with no interwebs or phone for the weekend at www.famine.org.nz/uncommunikate . Thanks Crave for the amazing brekkie!

Next up is geocaching with @paudecanela. I think I’ll break out the yellow sunglasses!

Tonight I’ll be at @reslau at Elliott Stables. A few fun people are coming down including inter-regional blogger @moatatamaira. Come and make me clear your glasses!

Sent from my iPhone (the one you can buy on TradeMe)