Re: A regular forumer from lowyat.net got bashed in editorial note in hypertune by Ma
travis,
Well, personally, there's no say to who is right or wrong. A correct point on the right side may also be countered by another right on the left side. To some, maybe your words of "shot to death" may be a bit harsh so in a way, you could be wrong there. In this situation, you're the customer and Mark should see this as a constructive criticism/sarcasm/etc. and find some work around to it to show you that he can improve/change and make you turn your comments 180 degrees around, rather than blasting you on national magazine. In that bashing, those who support him will say that you deserved the bashing for using such strong words, as they feel it to be strong. While on the other hand, those who support you would agree with your bashing of Mark.
In another situation, I could view you as a reader who is a trouble maker, not knowing the style of how Mark has intended his articles to be. For Mark, I believe that it is hard to please everyone. If he changes his writing style based on your comments, he could then satisfy you but on the other hand, maybe the other group of readers who likes his current style would then comment bad on him saying that his articles became boring and that he should have just continued with his current writing style rather than his new writing style (which he changed due to your comments). In short, for this kinda situation, he could change to satisfy you but he also faces the risk of dis-satisfying the other people with opposites tastes.
I'm also in customer service line (tech support to make it simple) and also having to face many difficult customers, there're times that people like me (and I believe sometimes Mark too) will just get so fed up because various customers with all sorts of different demands push us till we drop off the cliff and die (verbally explaning the situation), then only will they be satisfied. And then even after we drop off the cliff and died, they sent a complain letter/mail to our bosses.
I know that because customers pay and would want to get what they pay for, it's sometimes better to just stop for a while and think not as a customer, but as someone with deeper human values. Maybe some of these questions could help?
- Do I really want to bash that fella with such words?
- If I bash him with such words, will it really make a critical change in my life and/or future?
- Do I prefer to see a world where by humans bash humans just to get everything that they want?
- Would it really satisfy my soul if I bash that person (in this thread, it would be Mark or even me) just because I'm a customer and I have my customer rights to do so?
and these are just some questions that I can think of for now.
For me, when I'm a customer, I try to be friendly, jokey and understanding, but I could only succeed in obtaining good service if the service staff can also joke and laugh with me (there are some service staff who gives you some real shitty face even though you're friendly and really, they're asking for it if that's the case). If the business people can also laugh and joke with me, communication between me and the business people will be a lot more easier comfortable and when that is established, you'll be surprised that some of them (if they could by their means or by their management/boss means) give you that extra mile to ensure that you're satisfied in one way or another. Just because we're customers, it doesn't give us the right to be more superior than the business people because at the end of the day, we're at the same level anyway, which is.... we're still humans.
Here's a short illustration from my own personal experience. I'm a very regular customer of coffee bean. For years, I been patronizing coffee bean. When they first started biz, their staff was a bit stiff and a little bit unfriendly. But then, regardless of that, I always try to crack some joke and be cheerful when I place my order with them. Shortly after their biz kicked off successfully with a few branches stemming up in various places, they started to greet all customers loudly (but not shouting) when they walked in. To me, it was a nice feeling and I started to be cheerful and occasionally, joked with them and chatted with them too. After some time, many outlet staff recognized me and at times, when I went to a table that is not cleared, I clear it for them and just get them to wipe the table. They're happy and when a more friendly and cheerful customer-staff relationship builds, the staff would go the extra mile for me at times which I truely appreciate. Some examples would be that they will bring the drink to me at my table when coffee bean is clearly a self service outlet. In that, I find the peace, harmony and comfort of going to coffee bean. At times, even as a customer, giving a little back to the service staff would give them the joy in their work place and when that happens, it would also add some happiness to their life and they could then end their day at work with a nice smile on their face and go home feeling happy that when they work their arse off, there are indeed people who's willing to appreciate all their hard work and willing to be in harmony with them. Trust me, when that level is achieved, you'll be able to see and feel a difference in their service.
If only ALL humans could be humble, joyful and understanding, life would be more meaningful to all of us.
Disclaimer: All of the above is my personal opinion and not targetting anyone in specific.
Anyway, back to the hypertune topic, I buy the mag only once in a while.... to see the adverts and not really the articles. hahahaha