Accidental Porn

Tweet

In recent weeks, I have become rather fond of Twitter. I don't know what took me so long. I can quickly vent my frustrations and read my friends' tweets through TwitterFox or Twitterrific. It's short and sweet. 90% of the time it's entertaining. Sometimes I just don't get it. Sometimes it breaks my heart. Sometimes it saves me money. Sometimes it keeps me in the loop. Sometimes it fails.

Dearest Twitter, you are, however, lacking in features that could make you nearly perfect:

• A way to read all @replies to a tweet. Maybe this feature is there, and I'm missing it? I would like to see the answers someone receives when they ask a question. I asked for web hosting suggestions a few weeks ago, and I'm sure someone else may have benefited from the responses.
  
• A way to @reply to specific tweets. Again, maybe I'm missing this? I hate hitting @reply in Twitterriffic or TwitterFox only to end up looking like I've responded to the latest tweet, when, in actuality, I am replying to one from an hour earlier. I do not like looking like a moron.
  
• A way to edit your last tweet. This morning I was barely awake, and I typed 'their' instead of 'there', and then panicked because someone on the internets may have witnessed a grammar faux pas -- from me! On Saturday, my iPhone's predictive text had me tweet "Hooray for almost dying I'm Sheetz. Wet floor signs - use 'em." when, clearly, I meant "in Sheetz". Again, I do not like looking like a moron!
  
• Tweet via IM. C'mon. You had it working before!
• A way to group those that you follow. I have several people that I follow that I'd love to see their messages right away, and a few that can wait for later because they're easier to follow in context, e.g. one tweet right after another.

So, Twitter, what can we do about this?

Also, somewhat related, Ryan finds it hilarious that I actually used the word tweet, in context, in actual conversation with him last week. If he used Twitter, I'd ask you all to @reply him to death with 'tweet'.

A Relationship in 140 Characters or Less

Some of my saved text messages from June 20-July 25.

Me: I'm sitting in Subway waiting for your watches while two men are having a Bill Pullman/Paxton debate.

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Ryan: U smell

Me: U break remotes

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Ryan: I think this weird sheetz employee is stalking me

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Ryan: Nerdle

Me: I hate motorcycles-HATE

Ryan: Haha

Me: Peewee on a motorcycle! omg

Ryan: Is it homo blue?

Me: No idea. Almost wrecked because I was laughing so hard

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Ryan: "Do you know how bad water tastes when it's not what you want" what the hell is that moron talk

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Ryan: Intardnets down there eh?

Me: Yes

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Ryan: They can test for strep in the office?

Me: Um - always ...

Ryan: Don't remember that ... tonsils are swollen

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Ryan: Behold the power of cheese!

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Ryan: Shoulda stayed home

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Ryan: Damn windmill blades

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Me: Shake shake shake uh shake it!

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Me: Ewww ... schweatty ballz!

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Ryan: He prolly eats people

Ryan: Gravel voice Rawr Rawr rawr

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Me: 1) WTF is up w/ ur away msg at home, 2) I have ur expense check, 3) tweet

On Editorials, Politics, Economic Devlopment, and Spamming in Johnstown

At 12:24 AM last night, I received an email with the subject line "Your Tribune Democrat Editorials, Your Politics and Economic Development in Johnstown, PA". I immediately thought to myself, "Did I write an editorial? Did someone submit one under my name? Who in the hell is Brett Barndt?" I opened it thinking that it had to be from either someone who knows me, someone who knows of me, or someone (local) who reads my blog.

Actually, the sender was none of the above.

You can read what he wrote in this PDF of his email. To summarize, Brett wrote a long, rambling email to the new(ish) publisher of the Tribune-Democrat (our local paper), Robin Quillon. That's not all, he decided to put everyone in the world in the carbon copy field, including me. I exaggerate, but there were over one hundred people CC'd on that email. [I, of course, removed all CC'd email addresses from the PDF, hence the large blank space.]

The actual content of his email was a little (or a lot of) ranting and raving about the closed mindedness of the Johnstown area. Sure, I see it all the time, but I don't need some random person spamming me about it. I was irked that someone didn't know proper email ettiquette -- and blatantly spammed me. Internet: don't spam, and if you must send out something that may be construed as spam, Blind Carbon Copy it people! No one needs their private email address plastered all over the internet.

And then I received the "reply all" response from the Tribune's publisher. I hate reply all emails unless they are necessary to continue a conversation and keep everyone in the loop. Luckily none of the other 100+ recipients of the email decided to spam me with reply alls. I would have had to hunt down Brett and smack him with a newspaper.

I mulled over responding. I hesitated. Should I? Will I be the next rant victim? I thought it over and figured who really cares. I sent it to both Brett and Robin.

Brett,

Thank you for your unsolicited email - I love spam.

Honestly though, I do appreciate the sentiment with which it was sent. I know where you are coming from; I read the paper daily, and I was formerly employed by the offending paper. Notice that I said formerly. Sure, I didn't like some of the items they published, but that's how the world works. You can't please everyone. However, it was the terrible pay and the PeeWee Herman-esque (former) publisher that made it way too easy to NOT feel bad about seeking alternative employment. (See related post)

I understand that you are trying to make a point: the newspaper shows a one-sided, closed-minded view of Johnstown. However, your email came off like the entire Johnstown area is closed-minded and, to that, I take offense. I am not narrow minded. Neither is my family. Nor are my friends.

I see the one-sided, often right-winged views are more prevalent than the left-winged views. However, I do know who that paper caters to -- mostly the older and elderly population -- many of which do agree with that viewpoint. Printed newspapers will fail eventually if they do not remedy this. The younger population is trying to gain some exposure and respect and many of us are more liberal and left-of-center.

But, back on point: the spam. Spam is any unsolicited bulk mail, and that is what you sent. No one that you had emailed had asked for such a message except for the Tribune -- that's what their editorial section is there to accommodate. My other complaint is that you blatantly published everyone's email address. There is no need for this, and it is completely uncalled for. That is a violation of everyone's privacy. (See common email etiquette and courtesy.)

See the BCC field? That means blind carbon copy. BCC is your friend. Use it - don't abuse it. I don't mind it so much with my publicly published email address that you used, but had it been my private address, I would have done a little more than send you a polite email complaint.

Thanks again for sparking debate and discussion -- something the area needs more of. Next time, please use a less obtrusive medium where people can ELECT to read your opinion instead of having it forced on them. Newspaper readers ELECT and CHOOSE to purchase the newspaper. Website readers choose to read websites. Forum users choose to read forum posts. I however, was FORCED to receive your unsolicited email. I could have hit delete, sure, but it never should have reached my inbox without my asking for it. (On a side note, if you're going to send a gigantic rant to 100+ people, you may
want to ramble less and proofread more. Just a thought ...)

And, Mr. Quillon, you are just as guilty of this crime by hitting REPLY ALL. Sure you had to defend yourself, but did you have to drag the rest of the Johnstown population into it? (See "Reply-All Isn't Always Necessary)

Sincerely,
Jaemie Gyurik
jaemie.com

Shortly after I hit send, I received a nice reply from the Tribune's publisher apologizing for the offending "reply all". He seems like a nice guy, and I think he'll do the Tribune a world of good after what happened to it with the last publisher (a.k.a. PeeWee).

As for Brett, calm yourself down. Keep up the debate IN THE PROPER MEDIUMS AND CHANNELS, but don't make Johnstown look as bad as the New York Times did, OK?

Five Star Day

• Followed through on to-dos, and I was VERY busy. VERY BUSY. I am completely overbooked with client work. The good: I am not bored. The bad: I am not bored.
  
• Much was accomplished through meetings and the computer -- I am a web developer, you know.
• Hang out? On my way.
  

Building Jaemie.com, Episode 1

If you're just tuning in (all three of you out there), I'm working on actually building this site. That's right. I am working on this site.

Why?

Reason number one: Having this site built and designed properly will give me one more decent site to present when clients ask me if I have my own website, and they don't mean the company's site. It happens more often than not, and I'm embarrassed to mention this place because A) there really hasn't ever been content here except for that one letter (that I have to keep reiterating that the content of is my personal opinion and not my employer's) and B) it's a default Blogger template. Yes, a designer is using a DEFAULT TEMPLATE.

Reason number two: I really need to start writing again. A lot of things are going on in my life right now and a lot of things will be going on in my life in the next few years, and I would like a NICE place to document them.

Reason number three: I have a lot to say. You have no idea how many post ideas I have written down on scraps of paper, emails to myself, Remember the Milk tasks, and Google Notebook clippings. Too many. I get ideas -- good ones -- and I have no where to write about them but Twitter. I don't think 140 characters will cut it for some of those topics.

Reason number four: It took me three years to get this domain. I finally have it, and here it sits empty ... and it has been sitting for three years! I get offers from the few other Jaemies out there and a few random Korean businesses every couple of months. Maybe some content will deter them? (Will someone please tell me what 'jae mie' means in Korean? I just hope it means something pleasant and not 'poop' or 'porn'.)

Reason number five: I have a personal license for Expression Engine, and I have yet to use it!

So, what's been in the works?

• I bought a new hosting package from MediaTemple, and I LOVE it. Thanks for recommending MT, Jen and Jasmin! I had been having way too many problems with my old host -- they kept blocking my IP address (work AND home) from accessing my websites. How weird is that?
  
• I set up the hosting account, email account, and FTP. The overall hosting package is sweet (unlimited domains!), the email is IMAP, and ftp accounts coincide with the email user accounts so that is wonderful for hostees.
• After some searching, I figured out how to park my jaemie.net and jaemie.org addresses without having to contact customer support. This is unlike my last host that didn't offer this unless you paid them $10/domain to park them!
• I set up Blogger to post here again, and you shall see all the progress updates here as the site comes along.