I am behind this week. I have forgiven myself for missing 2 days of posts. Do you forgive me? I am also blogging about Twitter…again. I know. I know. It keeps coming up and this story was too good to pass up.
I wanted to share a great story about Embarq (our phone company) and social media. Lately, I have been talking to a lot of clients about what they can “get” from social media. Admittedly, I invest a lot of time contributing to social media channels (Twitter, blogging, Facebook, etc.) and so do you. What can you expect from your time investment. I look at social media as a huge karmic wheel. The more you give, the faster the wheel spins and when you need it your community will come through for you. And along the way you will pick up great information, fantastic contacts and build an effective network. If you haven’t read “Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty” by Harvey McKay – read it. It rings so true not only within the social media space but is a good companion in this crappy economy. Networks are important and giving to the network is critical.
So with that said, here is why you should contribute to the conversation. You never know who’s listening.
We live in the middle of the woods in VA and satellite broadband was the only option for a decent internet connection. When we moved in and the phone installation tech came out in September 2008, he told us that there *might* be the potential for us to get DSL. We were 16K feet from the junction box which was in range for decent service. So we called the Embarq customer service line and asked if we could get DSL. We were told NO but that they would add us to a list and that we would receive info should they ever run DSL to our house. We begrudgingly let it go. In early November, Embarq called back and said that they were running “extended reach” DSL to our area and that we *might* be eligible. We were told to look for a card in snail mail in early December. December came and went with no word from Embarq. My husband called them every few days for two months to find out the status. Everyone at Embarq was very nice, but we were consistently told that the matter would be escalated and that someone would call us back. Needless to say, no one ever called us back.
So, last week we had a snow storm and the satellite went out (as usual). Apparently when the satellite ices up there is no service until the ice melts. Technology at its finest if you ask me. A friend and I were tweeting about our satellite woes on Twitter and I mentioned that Embarq had been teasing us with promises of DSL but that I’d believe when I see it. Then it happened.
It just so happens that Embarq is on Twitter (who knew?) and had come across my complaints. @Embarq_Joey sent me an immediate reply asking how he could help. I told him my DSL saga and within 24 hours I had an Extended Reach DSL installation scheduled on 2/27. Amazing! He was helpful, did what he said he would do and followed up. He also went on to help my mom get DSL that had just been added to her rural area last week. And my mom was ready to ditch Embarq altogether.
So after five months of chasing down this elusive DSL service by phone and email, one tweet kicked off a chain of events that ultimately ended in getting something that we desperately needed. I didn’t ask for it. But because I contributed to the conversation, someone was listening..and wanted to help me out.
The installation is scheduled for February 27 and I’ll let you know how it goes. My hope is that by the end of the month we’ll have true broadband that won’t have to be de-iced to function. And a million thanks to @Embarq_Joey for all of his help. We are so psyched! Embarq ROCKS.
What happy endings have you experienced via Twitter or other social media tools? I’d love to hear about them to help me make my case to others. Thanks!
