Mister-wong makes great bookmarks!

Social bookmarking is huge! Sites like technorati, del.icio.us, reddit, and others utilize your personal and public bookmarks to suggest sites for others to visit.

There is another player in the foray. www.mister-wong.com has launched an english version in beta phase. I received a beta invite ad within a few minutes I was loving the concept.

Wong is not a new kid on the block either. They have millions of visitors a month for their international versions, so you can expect great success with the english version.

What does this all have to do with Musicians and artists.. well, promotion and marketing my friends. There is no law that says you can;t bookmark your own band’s links and pages etc. Then those get shared out to everyone else! How do you think facebook does it?

Whatever you have bookmarked gets shared and others can access those bokmarks. You of course can share and hide whatever bookmarks you wish (I’ll bet we all have at least 1 bookmark we keep private..)

Check out the link here

Seagate Portable Office - Free Agent Go! review

Seagate FreeAgent Go

This is a portable storage device like no other! This is not just a hard drive, “plug and go-do what you will” solution, but rather a portable datacenter!

The Seagate Free Agent Go combines the best of portable storage, personal preferences, and portability. There are several models with 80Gb, 100Gb and 120 gigabytes of storage. There is also a home solution of 320Gb, 500Gb and 750Gb. The portable product line works on PC’s and MAC’s, however the bundled software called Free Agent Tools is only Windows compliant. Mac users can use the format utility to enjoy the storage space only.

For the musician, this is the answer. Try tracking your band and taking those tracks with you. USB memory sticks just don’t have enough space to be practical. You may even have been forced to dither, or reduce the sample rates, or worse, convert your data to less popular format.

Well, not any more! This has plenty of room to store all your tracks, your plug-ins and license keys. Ok, one last time, best of all – Install your applications right on the Free Agent Go and use them wherever you like! Never forget a plug-in again!

Setting up the Free Agent Go is a snap. It includes a special USB cable, and a to the point instruction booklet and even comes with some friendly hello stickers on the wrappers (a friendly touch). The majority of the installation is the software portion itself. Note that the USB cable is a special type of USB cable, which requires 2 USB ports on the PC. It converts into a small USB connector on the drive chassis. This is also fully USB 2.0 compliant. Drive specs were not available at present time

For those of you that are familiar with the U3 standards in USB memory sticks, the included Free Agent Tools software is very similar. The installation process starts immediately. Initially, there were some program updates which were installed automatically. Included is a software suite called Ceedo, which allows you to import your user profile, your preferences, bookmarks, files, applications and take them with you to another pc. The keys being portability, and security. Ceedo offers a complete suite of applications, games and utilities that can be added to any portable storage device. Once you unplug the drive, all your personal data is removed from the host computer. A desktop in a box essentially.

Seagate’s drive itself is ultra compact, with the front portion illuminated in a dim orange glow. This is a nice touch and quickly lets you know that the drive is powered on and working. Of course, you’d already know that because your computer will detect the usb device upon its connection o the pc, regardless, the orange light is a nice touch. The amber light actually pulses while you are accessing it!

Portable USB memory storage is nice and compact, but it remains expensive. You may get 10 or 20 gb worth of storage but if will cost a lot. Here, we have 120Gb in something in a small package, just slightly larger than a tin of mints. (Actual dimensions are 4.8”x 3.9” x .7”) Also, a great 5 year (limited) warranty!

Price	(US) $80 GB - $109, 100 Gb - $139, 120 Gb $159
More info	TBA
Support	discsupport@seagate.com (www.seagate.com/contact)
Rating	4 out of 5
Bottom line	Portable storage with plenty of features and included software. Secure and convenient. Too bad the USB cable requires 2 ports.

Setting Up Dual Monitors!

If you’ve upgraded your computer display to LCD, your old CRT monitor is most likely collecting dust somewhere. Sending it to the local dump is not so easy. It is a very dangerous item. Its CRT (Cathode Ray Vacuum) tube must be disposed of properly. Usually you can pay a small fee to have the local dump accept it. Can you still use it? With Windows XP you can.

Windows XP supports two physical displays to be used on one computer. (it will also support 4 monitors with 2 dual head video cards)
First, you must determine what type of video adapter your computer has, and what physical slot-type your motherboard supports. If your display adapter is an internal integrated (onboard) video adapter, adding another display adapter will not work. It’s either internal or external. If your motherboard has (internal) or integrated video, you’ll have to buy a dual-head video adapter, or two separate display adapters. Dual-head display adapters have two video connector ports. Their drivers support dual display. They do cost quite a bit more, too.
If your computer has an AGP type slot, you can only add a PCI card. AGP slots are built into computer motherboards for the specific purpose of AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) video adapters. Motherboards can only physically support one of these cards. If you want to add another display adapter, it has to be a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) type of slot.

Modern motherboards are dropping the AGP slot. Ultimately, there won’t be any support for them. PCI-X express (the next generation of PCI technology) is the standard today. It allows Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) to come of age along with dual core CPU’s, and now dual core GPUs. They can even operate in pairs, called SLI mode - Scalable Link Interface - which is a special technology allowing you to pair up video cards to work in tandem. Imagine also having the ability to have up to four separate video cards in one computer. This is available now, from many of the major motherboard manufacturers.
Adding a second display adapter is not always easy and may not always work. If you are planning on taking this advice, your first step should take your tower to a local computer shop, to test out some of their display adapters. Of if you are the adventurous type, at least keep your sales receipt in case you need to return the item.
To be safe, purchase a PCI display adapter with at least 32Mb of onboard memory. Once installed, plug one monitor into each of the adapters and power them on. Windows XP will boot and ultimately find the new adapter card. Install the drivers (either on CD, or download them) and reboot the PC. Once rebooted, you can now configure and enjoy your new dual display system.
To configure the dual displays, right-mouse-click anywhere on the desktop, select properties.
The last tab is called settings, and you will notice that you have two monitors, labeled respectively.
Identify your favorite monitor by clicking the Identify button. If your favorite monitor is #2, simple drag it to the left to make it #1. You have the option of setting your desktop preferences; to have both monitors act as one; both act independently, as well as different colour quality, and screen resolutions. You may stretch the desktop to fill both monitors by checking Extend My Windows Desktop onto this monitor. Both your monitors should have the same screen size, maybe even think about buying a couple used CRT monitors to have a nice symmetrical look to your workstation.
You can actually have your e-mail open in one display, your icons and Internet browser on another.

Free 6 months Microsoft Mobile trial with Mercora

This works in conjunction with the Mercora service announced today - A social music and radio player.Microsoft is giving away a 6 month trial. In connection with this launch, Mercora is also today announcing an agreement with Microsoft Windows Mobile® to provide users with a 6-month complimentary subscription to the M v2 service...



read more | digg story

DVD Playback problems?

Ok, so I know about codecs and MPG’s, what about DVD Problems in general?

You have just purchased a new dvd movie and want to watch it on the computer. You insert it into the cd rom and nothing happens. What do you do now?

You may not have noticed the Windows Auto Insert box has launched and is sitting behind your open windows. To verify this, click and hold ALT, then press TAB. This opens the task switcher. Hold the ALT key and press TAB again to cycle the open programs. If you don’t like the fact that there are no text descriptions in the tasks, you can download the Microsoft Power Tools replacement called Alt-Tab Replacement.

Once you have located the Auto Insert prompt, you can then select from the various menu options. Of these options, are default associations to programs. One program you may use is a Media Player to play the DVD. One problem, Windows Media Player 6.4 and upwards to 9 do not include a DVD decoder. They cannot play a DVD movie without the help of another DVD decoder program. Most of these are available in a trial mode, and some are included on the DVD itself. Interactual DVD player seems to be included on most retail dvd’s and will attempt to automatically install on your system when you initially insert the dvd. Of the many DVD players, Interactual often causes more problems and requires many updates. Search Google for DVD player software and you will be inundated with choices. Power DVD is one you may investigate.

What happens if the dvd doesn’t play and it just spinning with the read light flashing endlessly? Chances are that you have some fingerprints or dirt on the surface. The best way to clean a cd or dvd is to treat it as you would your eyeglasses. Use a non abrasive cloth and wipe away from the centre in a straight line towards the outside. It’s not recommended to wipe in a circular motion. Repeat the process until the surface is free of any oils or dirt. If that doesn’t work, you can use some water to slightly dampen the cloth. Make sure there is no water or any dampness on the dvd before you try it in your drive.

Removing scratches from cd and dvd’s is often a matter of cleaning, however in more severe cases, you may be able to use some of the products on the market to repair scratches. Deeper scratches may require a resurfacing of the dvd, and honestly is a 50/50 chance. Solvents such as denatured alcohol may be used to try to clean the surface of embedded dirt. If the dvd shows signs of damage on the label side, such flaking or missing portions, you can try a black permanent sharpie to cover up the spots. This technique should only be very small areas, and should be used in moderation. Unless it is absolutely necessary. Again, no guarantees if this will work, but it may help.

If you're looking for a quick solution to most DVD playback problems, you might try a different player. such as VLC.

Codecs that always seem to fix the problem:

xvid

divx

May Vista be with you!

Windows in all it’s versions eventually will die. The lifecycle of an operating system is designed that way. Just as the computer industry forces you to upgrade and update, so do the software manufacturers. The rumor is that Windows XP will not be supported by Microsoft by the end of this year. These are unsubstantiated, but nevertheless, the outcome is inevitable. This is nothing new. Windows 95, 98, 2000 and XP all have a lifespan of about 5 years from release to retirement. Some however, like Windows Millennium had even less of a lifespan. WinME is like the ugly duckling of Microsoft Operating Systems. Sweep it under the carpet and forget about it.

What does the term unsupported really mean? Well, it means that Microsoft will no longer release patches and fixes, nor support the product (for free) via their technical support lines, websites, and forums. You will be able to purchase support, and will of course be able to use 3^rd party services for support. Bottom line, if you have a problem with a driver, or a software conflict, you’re on your own to resolve it. There may be some exceptions to patches being released – if there are major security issues or events that warrant a patch. Microsoft of course will make those determinations on a case by case basis.

Negative press of course also helps, and the power of the public can definitely have an impact. Social networking sites like digg, reddit, technorati, and del.icio.us allow the general public to submit and vote on popular links, and of course vote on the unpopular ones as well. This feedback is often noted by traditional press, and of course the manufacturers as well. It never hurts to visit these sites to also learn about potential computer and technology issues that may soon effect you. A proactive approach never hurts. You’ll be ready for when Darth Vader uses that familiar force gesture with his hand, and says “You will upgrade to Vista… now.

All Things ipod!

The ipod has quickly transformed itself into a household word, such as Duracell, Kleenex, the walkman, qtips, and coke. These are not the actual names of the product, but rather the brand name. Brand recognition is what every company aspires to achieve. Apple, once again has succeeded in a best way possible. The ipod is the defacto portable audio device to own.

Your ipod can be used as a portable hard drive with this tip, you can put an operating system on it with mojopac, and of course there are many software packages to organize your playlists, update your album art, and synch your music.

Now you can use the power of the internet to enhance your ipod. Several new services have launched on the internet in the fashion of web 2.0 products and services. All of them geared towards integrating your musical tastes into the internet, and you daily lives. Share your playlists, or download someone else’s; check out what others are listening to, or discover new music. These are some of the newest websites and services. This list below is worth a… listen!

Mobunga - Your Guide to Video Downloads for iPod, PSP, and Mobile Phones
Mobunga is a community-driven site designed to help video fans find the best mobile video content that's available on the Web. Most people have mobile, active lives, and they shouldn't be forced to restrict their videos to the desktop.

Grooveshary - Discover New Music
Grooveshark is an online service that rewards you for sharing, reviewing, and discovering new music. Get rewarded for sharing your songs and music, Keep all of your current songs and import your own playlists, Discover music and receive personalized recommendations, Sync your library with any player from iPods to iRivers.

Uplayme - Play Music. Meet People. Discover New Songs.
A Simple way to meet people and find new music just by playing songs on your computer and your iPod. Download the software and uPlayMe finds people who are playing the same music and shows you what they're listening to. You can chat with them, visit their pages on other sites like MySpace, or just find new music to listen to.

Audiozue - Show the World what's got you Grooving
With audiozue you get real-time iTunes satistics posted to your MySpace, Blog or Website. Show you friends what you're listening to. audiozue have a great selection of soundtrack templates for your blog or website. One click sends your friends to the iTunes Music Store where they can preview and download songs from your soundtrack.

Fedafi - Make RSS and Podcasting Easy
Fedafi makes RSS and iTunes valid podcast feeds easy. It's an application that anyone can install on their own website and use to generate valid RSS and iTunes Podcast feeds. No technical knowledge needed, no XML to learn, absolutely everyone can now use RSS for their business. Add RSS as a marketing channel to your business today.

Sonicswap - Share Playlists with Thousands of your Closest Friends
SonicSwap offers music playlist sharing built around social networking and collection analysis. Patent pending search technology returns playlists based on your ability to play them. Members run a software accessory called BOINK in parallel with iTunes to connect with friends through music.

jiwamusic - Create and Share Playlists
JiwaMusic is a new experiment that allows its users to search for an artist or a track; load a track originally composed by them on the JiwaMusic servers, Create some playlists and share their playlists.

Twones - Share your Playlist
Twones is the the ultimate way to make friends and find music. Sync your iTunes and iPod library with Twones and discover new music and friends. share your playlist & share your identity.

Fiql - Playlist Sharing Community
Playlists are everywhere - on the radio, in magazines, on message boards and blogs and most importantly in your music collection. As storage increases and the limits of the single album are long left behind, it's becoming harder and harder to manage music... and that's why why fiql was created . More than just a repository of playlists of all kinds, FIQL is a place to be introduced to new music by looking at other people’s playlists and to share with others your playlist and music interests.

webjay - Playlist Community
WebJay allows users to publish their music playlists on the web.

Rockstarist Launches!

Promoting my new blog aimed at helping musicians in the same way that I try to help computer users on this blog.


Please visit, and leave comments and suggestions!

http://rockstarist.com/blog/

Ipod XtremeMac iPod recorder review!

Finally, a portable recording solution that integrates into your everyday life without any extra gadgets or power supplies and cables! For the commuter, the public transit user, or the “quick…record it before I forget it” like me, the XtremeMac Ipod recorder is a welcomed innovation! Can you tell I love it? even before I’ve used it? Not at all obvious!

The recorder plugs into the bottom of the ipod (with video, and nano 2G) and seamlessly integrates with it. It has a built in speaker, as well as a standard 1/8” mini (3.5mm) stereo jack. Included is a flexible mini goose neck type microphone that can be detached from the unit. You may choose to use a line in signal from your computer sound card, or from any other low level input source. There is a line and mic input selector switch to handle the impedance and input levels. You may also purchase a lapel microphone, or use a different condenser microphone. I find it especially useful for recording a band, my lyrics or memo’s. The included mic can be easily propped up and ready to record anything.

The included microphone records in mono with two quality settings;

Low Quality High Quality
Bit Rate 352 kb/s 1411 kb/s
Sample Rate 22 .05 kHz 44 .10 kHz
Recording Times
1min\1hour(MB) 2.6\156 10.3\618
Recording Capacity (Hours)
30\60\80Gb iPod 192\384\512 48\98\129
File Format WAV
Ipod Versions Video and nano 2G.

To record with a mic in stereo, you will require a separate powered microphone. The built in line in will accept stereo recordings from your computer however. Your recordings will be saved as voice memos on your ipod and will automatically be imported into itunes on your next synch. The controls are adapted to use your ipod’s menu and selector wheel to start, play pause and delete the recordings.

Retail price(USD) $59.95 MSRP
Manufacturer’s website

Comments: Great innovation! Solid construction, great gadget for musicians, writers, memos. I wish it could record in stereo through the mic.

The skinny on Modchips!

Modchips, just add salt!

The music and movie industries have always implemented methods to prevent copying and illegal redistribution of their products. Obviously, they do this to create jobs, and make money. Although, some would argue that they do this simply because they can. Unfortunately, these methods of protection limit our free use and often dictate what we can do with items we have purchased. Let’s not get into the legalities here. One side of the argument is the purchase and use of computer software - you do not own it, you are merely licensing it for your use. With music, movies and games, the same thing applies. We are purchasing the right to play and use the product for our personal enjoyment. Not to copy or broadcast. Ok, fine. The consumer’s main argument has always been what right doea a company have to tell you what you can do with something you have purchased – like your car, can you be told where when and how you can use it? In relation to software, what happens if your original media is damaged, can you get a replacement copy without having to purchase the product again? The answer is of course no. Well that just doesn’t sit right for the average consumer. Why can we not copy or backup our purchased products for safekeeping? Well, simply put, because there is no way to legitimize your damaged media claim, and secondly, because they can make more money.

When you tell someone no, and don’t offer a valid reason or justification, you can expect defiance, anger, determination and frustration in their reaction. This drives individuals to resist and find alternatives. Collectively, people form user groups and focus their energies on hacking into whatever they wish to change. One example is backing up copyrighted cd’s and dvd’s. A special type of alphanumerical lock was developed to protect music and movie cd’s from being copied, this was quickly hacked and the protection schemes were bypassed making the public free to backup their purchased media products.

DCMA laws in the USA have been enacted to protect companies and the public against all forms of tampering and illegal copying of protected works, which further infuriates many people, and often motivates them to work harder. In trying to combat these limitations, and with the influence and benefit of the internet, hacking communities are formed. Just as the BORG on Star Trek, they are united and focused on one task. The collective power in unstoppable.

Music and Movie protection schemes have been unlocked, most recently with the High Definition DVD exploit located and defeated. Computer software and games have also proved very little resistance against the collectively focused public. The remaining frontier is console games. Sony Play Station, Nintendo and Microsoft are the big three and all have been defeated. The methods to defeat these are quite complicated and require the installation of electronic bypass circuits commonly called Modification chips, or modchips. The most recent development is the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 systems. Within days of retail release of these products, one could read the progress made in cracking these systems. The xbox 360 was cracked within weeks of its release. Cracking the xbox360 means that retail purchased games can be backed up. One could copy the retail product, put it in safe keeping and play the backup version.
Soon after its release, the Nintendo Wii was also cracked and a modchip was developed to bypass its built in protection technologies. Modchips are not for the faint of heart, and almost always require some sort of installation within the game console system. Installing a modchip voids the original manufacturer warranty in several ways. First, the xbox and xbox 360 have end user licensing agreements (EULA), just as Microsoft Windows products do. Opening the package and using the system means that you have agreed to those terms and conditions. What does this mean – well in Microsoft’s case, you are using the xbox and the software on it for entertainment purposes, you cannot do anything to modify, or exploit the hardware, or the programs running on it. Any attempt to do so voids the EULA, and may be punishable by law. Of course, good luck enforcing this in our homes, but try to sell a game, or make a profit and you can be legally punished, like this fellow.

Modchips are hardware modifications designed to bypass electrical circuitry, which means that their installation requires some knowledge of soldering and working with electronic circuits. Alternative modchips are software based and can often be run using specially created cd’s using software exploitation techniques.

Firmware modifications are nothing new either. Firmware modifications are present everywhere from onboard car computer chips to home dvd and cd players. Sometimes, manufacturers release products that are priced based on features they include. A top of the line products may be exactly the same as the lower model, with only some slight differences. You can buy the less expensive model, and flash the firmware to get the same features as the higher priced model. Flashing is the term used to write a program onto a chip.

The preferred mod is the firmware flash for many reasons. First, no soldering is require, and no installation of any electronic circuits. Second, flashing can be undone, or reverted.
Third, flashing is easier to do that installing anything. In some cases, a firmware flash can be done without ever opening the case.

Video game manufacturers have not stood idly by either. As a modchip is released, the manufacturers quickly learn the method used by the modchip and develop a counter measure. The most common method to compat modchips is a forced update of the firmware. When you purchase a new game, the game will have an updated firmware that must be installed to play that particular game. Update your firmware almost always kills the modchip. Microsoft developed the xbox live system which enables game concoles to be connected to the internet and receive updates, and content. This system also allows Microsoft to look at your system’s firmware and detect the presence of any modifications. Their ability to snoop into your system is a cause for concern in regards to the DCMA, however you did agree to this when you plugged the system in and connected it to the internet and the Xbox Live system.

Microsoft has the ability to detect your firmware, and ban your xbox system based on its serial number. The ban is permanent and for life. This means that your xbox will function, however never on the Xbox Live system. Of course there is a modification for this, actually two. First, get a new chip for the one that contains your system serial number – or an eprom chip as they call it. One can be purchased online easily from a non working xbox. The eprom can be replaced and it would restore your xbox to an non-banned state. Of course, connect to the xbox live system and the process would repeat itself.
The workaround is to disable the modchip. Many modchips have a switch to allow them to be enabled, or disabled when you boot the console. Disabling the modchip allows the system to appear and operate as it does out of the box. Enable the modchip, and you have all the features again, of course with no online play ability.

The next evolution is Stealth. Enabling a modchip for online play, to receive updates to your console and to appear as a normal system. Once again, manufacturers work to detect these modifications and the cycle repeats.

Most recently, modchips have been somewhat outshined by firmware modifications to the DVD drives of the units. The basic principle of this technique is that the DVD drive’s firmware can be modified to allow backup copies of games to be played. Modifying a DVD player firmware is far simpler and quicker than installing a modchip. The process requires a modified firmware file that is transferred to the dvd drive from your computer. Not only is it easy, but also provides stealth, and the ability to undo the modification in case any problems.

Last but not least, USB and memory card firmware modifications. This will ultimately be the most preferred method of modding a game console. Using a USB memory device to flash the firmware. In comparison, nothing need be disassembled, no tampering or opening the casing of the console. Simply plug in the usb memory device and load the file on it to run the mod.

Technical Support attitude!

(part of an ongoing saga. See the previous articles, as well - here and here)

Just because you buy a PC form a certain manufacturer, that doesn’t entitle you to owning the tech. Owning – as in - I called tech support and Owned the tech, or The customer called me and I owned him – both examples do NOT apply. The only thing you own is the pc, nothing more, and not even the software on it. You are only allowed to use the software, you don’t own squat. Remember that the next time you call for technical support. And all you technicians out there in help desk land, you need to listen as well. You don’t have the right to be rude, or talk down to the customer no matter how much you may think they deserve it. You don’t own anything either – You both need each other! No tech = no support, No customer = nothing to support = no job.

Nothing turns a tech support call south than attitude, whether it’s the customer - either out of frustration, or a false sense of superiority, or the technician from a long day at the office, or inability to deal with newbies. Communicating technical support problems and solutions is not easy by any means. It takes a special knack to fix a problem without seeing it, and describing a problem to a technician when you’re not a technician. Try it sometime, as a test, maybe try telling your spouse of children how to make a sandwich over the phone, and give them every detail of how you want it made. Harder than you think!

Customers – Do not challenge the technician, let them initiate the call, and go through their procedures. They do this every day and are trained to deliver a speedy solution. Let the technician speak, and keep your answers to a minimum yes or no. The technician will take you through the steps to get you off and running as quick as he can.

If you do not agree with his solution, or feel that he has not completed the task, politely explain your concerns and continue the call. If you are polite and explain your concerns calmly, you will be able to work with them until the problem is resolved.

If the solution provided is not acceptable, or inadequate, again say so. If you have reached the end of the road, then ask to be escalated to 2^nd level support. Note that you cannot just haphazardly ask to be escalated. It’s like a get out of jail free card, use it wisely. Make sure you are entitled to the support you are requesting. Make sure the product you are having problems with is indeed covered under your support warranty.

No, Microsoft Office does not come with Windows! So forget about yelling at the PC manufacturer because they won’t support you for free. Call Microsoft.

Don’t even think about getting angry or name calling! Technicians have enough stress fixing problems, let alone social working. Want to end a call and get nowhere? Try raising your voice or calling a tech a name. And don’t think they don’t share information. They can easily put a note in your history that says rude, or irate, or that you name call. See what kind of support you get the next time you call. And you know what, You deserve it. You ever call your mechanic a name, how about your doctor? I think you get the point. Respect and love your tech! It’s all good!

Technicians – Not every caller is stupid, and they are people too. Try putting a smile on your face before you answer the call. Believe it or not you mood is transparent to callers, and a bad mood can turn a routine call into a supervisor’s glare in an instant. Your tone of voice can be misinterpreted and sound like you are a computer god – dictating to your minions. Vocal inflections, or worse yet a monotone voice will convey the no-care , I’m better than you attitude. You’re there for 8 hours, might as well relax and stay awhile.

Bored, feeling burnt out? Been on the same product queue for months, ask to be cross trained and breed some new life and interest into your tech support abilities. If you know you’re going to be in this product queue for a while, find ways to make it interesting. Try to streamline the common answers. Think about the questions you often solve. Think about the questions and answers you ask the customer and find a way to improve the process. If you ask questions and the customer asks you to repeat it, then reword it.

If your call is too cold and stiff, try making light, talk about the weather, offer some friendly advice to avoid problems such as the customer is experiencing. Offer some links, or websites for reference – check with your employer’s policies first though, make sure you’re not breaking any rules, or sending them to the competition!

If you don’t know the answer – say so. Don’t bother confusing the matter. Tell the customer you don’t know the answer, and try to find the answer. If you cannot, offer them some tips to finding it themselves. Or call them back with the information – again, if your company allows that practice.

Scripts – By now, you must have the caller greeting script permanently forged in your brain. Try changing it slightly to suit your personality. That can work wonders in your attitude and customer perceptions. You’re not a robot and we know that!

Let the man speak – by god man! We know its frustrating listening to a non technical person explain their problem. They get emotional and tell you everything except what you need to hear to fix the problem. Regardless, part of your job – admit it or not – is to counsel and advise. You have to help the customer as well as the problem they are experiencing. This takes a good ear, some compassion, and some patience! You never know who is on the other end of the phone. Respect the customer, and all is good!

Without customers, there are no jobs. And of course, we’re all someone else’s customer at some point.

Dealing with Tech Support!

If you have ever called a tech support line, I’m sure you been frustrated to no end. Just getting to a live person seems to be a secret. You have to learn to navigate silicone sally’s virtual menus. Sounds like an adult movie title, ok, ok - don’t get excited. You can’t avoid the stress though. Press one for sales, 2 for support, 3 for support in English, then you’re in the support menu… press one for desktops, 2 for laptops, 3 for both…

If you are a wearing a clown suit; press 4, if you are not, press 5. You get the picture.

Eventually, you’ll get a live person.

• Step 1 – Did you write down all those menu choices you made to get here? Better do it now. You’re going to need to call back, and you might as well save yourself some time. By no fault of the technician on the other end (mostly)

I have been known to – accidentally - hang up on some callers. Purely by accident… cough.. cough..You will either be cut off, or put on hold, transferred and put in another queue.

• Step 2 – remain calm, you’re going to be on the phone for a while. If you have a cordless phone, switch to a corded phone. If you have a headset phone, use it. Go get a coffee, or a drink and relax.
• Step 3 – capture as much pertinent information as you can possible comprehend. Be ready for the technical support you are calling to receive! The more information you can offer, the better your chances of a successful resolution.
  

You’re probably wondering why I used the word ‘chances’ in regards to a tech support call? As if it were a contest? Well it is like a contest, sort of. The prize is you get your problem resolved, quickly and properly the first time.

If you tell the technician “My internet doesn’t work” that doesn’t help him at all. Try going to your mechanic and saying “My car makes a noise” see his response. Now, try that over the phone, where the technician can’t see anything. My point is he is trying to help you, so help him by getting as many details as you can.

• Step 4 – do some research beforehand. If you see an error message, try searching google for it. Use the exact phrasing and put that in your google search. You may find a little more information to help troubleshoot the problem – you might even fix it yourself.

Technician’s have a difficult enough time dealing with the different possibilities and configurations of computer hardware and software. To make matters worse, they can’t see your screen, so they are working off experience and memory. There are some remote support utilities to enable them to access and control your computer, but that in itself requires technical support to get working.

The possibilities of software and hardware problems are endless, so in gathering information to help troubleshoot the cause, you can help in the solution. One important consideration is to only capture the relevant information of an error message. Some error messages are paragraph upon paragraph. The technician doesn’t need to know or hear you repeat that information back to him. Give them the summary. If there is a specific mention to a file name, or a location, relay that information.

• Step 5 - Keep your cool and remain polite! Technicians are people too and a polite and friendly voice will do wonders to getting the problem resolved in a manner that everyone will enjoy.

How eager do you think the technician is to help you if you’re angry with him? Did he actually cause the problem? Don’t shoot the messenger! If you’re angry and confrontational, you’ll get nowhere. Not only in tech support, but pretty much anywhere.

Think of the technician’s role. He just got off the phone with someone just like you – frustrated, in a hurry, and completely unaware that they themselves most likely caused the problem in the first place. Although that may not be a completely accurate statement all of the time, it’s pretty true MOST of the time. A good technician will fix the problem without laying blame, or complaining. A good technician is of course hard to find.

To be continued…

Consumers vs. Technicians! (Part 2)

We’ve all had to call technical support at one time or another. We’ve all had good and bad experiences with them. Looking in from the consumer’s perspective, we have complaints abounding. Most complaints can be summed up:

- The technician had poor people skills and didn’t care about me or my problem

- The technician had poor language skills or spoke too quickly to understand

- The technician had poor technical skills, and didn’t know anything

Imagine that? A technician that doesn’t know it all! In my IBM days, it was a common saying that if you could walk and chew gum, and you were polite, they could train you to fix computers. Oh, how sadly untrue!

And for the record – it’s the other way around! If you can fix computers, we can teach you to walk and chew gum – virtual gum, and walking through a cyber-world. - Just kidding.

I’ll start out with some scenario from the Consumer’s Perspective, then I’ll give the Technician’s Perspective.

Consumer Scenarios

1) You’re an Idiot, and we know everything.

As the customer, we’ve become familiar with that drab and monotone voice on the other end of the phone. They condescend you in every word and even mock you! You can easily imagine the tech’s face and actions akin to “whatever” I’ll bet you’ve often felt like they put you on hold to get their colleagues to listen in, and have a comedy central riot at your expense. Or worse yet, they put you on speakerphone. All the while, claiming to be getting their 2^nd level support team involved. As for 2^nd level support, he’s most likely the guy in the next workstation pretending to be the go-to-guy. Oh the tricks and webs we weave…

2) Passing The Buck

You’re on the phone for an hour, and the problem still exists. The technician told you to download the drivers and call back – your problem that you could access the internet. How can you download the drivers without an Internet connection?

3) He said, She said

You have a computer, a modem, a router and a VOIP phone. The phone doesn’t work, so who do you call? The ISP says, it’s not their problem and al is working fine with the lines in your house. How does he know, did he come out and check them? Taking his advice, you call the VOIP provider. They say it’s your ISP’s problem. You call back the ISP and relay the information, although you have not been given any reason, or information to convey, you just say – it’s your problem. ISP says it’s your computer.

The point? Well, the technician is basically trying to get rid of the idiot on the line. Pass the buck, find a place to lay blame, somewhere that the consumer can’t refute. Somewhere in techno-babble land. The customer won’t know what hit him!

4) Stats baby Stats!

Call Centres run on statistics. Plain and simple. More calls in less time, be polite so that the company look and sounds professional and that they care about you. Etiquette over technical abilities. Heaven forbid – a likeable technician? Although rare, they do exist, and I’ve personally been told this thousands of times. It is the technician’s job to take inbound calls, complete them as quickly as possible. Politely and courteously. If a call goes beyond the average talk time of say 3 minutes, it starts to impact his personal stats. Lower talk times are better, and he who handles more calls looks better to management.

Although technical abilities are nice to have, a good talker can get you on the line, confuse you and get you off the line without fixing anything. It should work - is the term that technicians use to get rid of you. They have either reached their personal limits of technical abilities, they’ve been on the call too long, their supervisor is waving his arms, or pointing at his watch, or the tech just doesn’t care any more.

5) Where am I calling for support anyways?

You may have noticed the trend in the last decade where technical support is outsourced overseas. My opinion of course, nevertheless – the reason for this trend is as I stated above. If you can walk and talk politely, we can train you to take technical calls. There are countries overseas with exceptional educational systems and language diversities. The technical infrastructure can be brought to these countries, and the training can be scripted. North American IT companies have already laid the foundations for tech support protocols, procedures, flow charts and problem resolution tools. These can be converted into online training and resources. Call centres simply need the manpower to field the calls, and use the problem resolution tools to fix the problems. Technician’s technical troubleshooting abilities will come later. This is not the case now, however it was 10 years ago. Lets face it, it’s cheaper for manpower, foreign governments welcome big business, and will help with incentives, training, location, land, resources, and of course tax breaks. If you wonder why the technician is overseas – now you know.

North American workers want too much, benefits, holidays, regular raises, perks, benefits and so on and so no. I should know, I am one too.

Overseas workers, well it’s a completely different ball game. It’s Cricket actually.

Technician Scenarios

Ok, lets start by first getting the usual stories out of the way.
PEBKAC – problem exists between keyboard and chair
ID 10T Error – spell it out - id10t, coffee holders, why is there 2 power buttons, my computer isn’t working…let me get a flashlight to see why etc.

1) If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

How many calls have you taken in a case like this. The customer says, well I was looking through my programs and uninstalled everything I didn’t need. You of course roll your eyes, and wonder where this is going. Of course under your breath, you have to ask why?

If your car is working fine, do you start removing parts? So, now the caller wants you to help them repair everything. Of course this can go several ways – is the computer even in warranty, is it your company’s product, what exactly is wrong with it and so on.

It takes a special gift to be able to repair something without seeing it. Think about that next time you need technical support.

2) Your error messages are unique

Windows is known for some of the most ridiculous and useless error messages (sorry to all the programmers out there) but it’s true. Fatal error, Fatal exception, Illegal Operation and so on. SWAT or the ETF should be here any minute. Callers have no idea what they are or how to fix them, so they call for support. Of course they have to read every single word of the error message, or worse yet, the terms and conditions of a EULA. ( Tip: stop them before they start, politely say no need to read the entire message.) The consumer feels that they are helping you, and the company make a better product, and you NEED to know this information.

3) Why do I have to give you my information?

Ever had a customer raise a fuss about giving their information, or even the machine information? Why is that, got something to hide? They don’t realize that everything needs to be tracked in the call centre’s tools and utilities. The information is used to call up history, case numbers, and previous calls. Technicians could care less about your personal information. They want to see the technical details to get the problem fixed.

4) I want your name and extension

Yeah right, you bought a laptop computer and that earns you the right to call me whenever you need? I’ve purchased cars and homes with not even an extension number. I’m not referring to security and Information privacy, but rather customer expectations.

As far as privacy and security concerns go, each country is different of course. In Canada where I live, we are not required to give first and last names. As long as you can give the customer a way to refer to your case, or to you with an alias, or a employee number or a reference number, that is good enough. I’ve actually had customers look me up in the phonebook and call me at home. This was when I first started in technical support at IBM. You learn real quick after that happens!

5) Salesman will say anything to close the deal!

The customer calls to say this computer was promised to have xray vision! More often than not, big box store salesman work on commission. They need the money just as much as you. Their employers don’t want to pay for product training and considering how quickly technology changes, it’s next to impossible to keep up. Sales staff often have to learn products on their own time. They may have made an honest mistake, or did what they had to - to get the deal done. Of course this leave the customer with false information and you are a representative of the company tat makes these products – whether you like it or not. Fix the problem, make it do what was promised or bear the wrath of the misinformed customer. Your only recourse is tell the truth and set the record straight, or escalate to Customer Care. Of course, you get dinged for the escalation, or for telling the customer their laptop can’t make ice cubes.

6) You know everything about software

The customer complains that his computer won’t synch with his digital camera, or his home design software doesn’t work. Of course it’s your fault. You’re supposed to know about these things. The customer has no idea that there are support limitations. If it connects to your product, you have to support it. Customer Entitlement is not clearly defined. Sorry marketing and sales teams, this falls on you. As a technician, you’d love to say, does the computer turn on and operate properly? Thank you for calling our company, have a nice day – but you can’t. You have to at least try to offer some sort of assistance – without knowing a thing about the product. Like a Honda mechanic working on a photocopier.

Finally, Some funny (or stupid) questions
Can’t you just loom at my computer from there and fix it?
Can I see if my kids have been surfing adult sites?
Can you clean my computer of where I’ve been and my cookies?
Why do I have to pay for support, MSN comes with windows
Why don’t I have Microsoft word, it’s part of windows
My casino software stopped working
My stock market programs are not working
My kids did this and broke something
I get this error message, I don’t remember what it says, can you fix it?
My computer won’t power on
My monitor won’t show anything, it just blinks, or has no green light
Smoke is coming from my monitor, what should I do
I spilled coffee on my laptop and it started to smoke, is it ok?
Can I have your number so I can call you back?
I demand to speak with your supervisor, I want a new computer
If you don’t fix it now, I want a replacement
What do you mean not supported? It came with the computer

Just look at yahoo’s new answers for some of the typical questions. You’ll be sure to get a chuckle!

Consumers vs. Technicians

We’ve all had to call technical support at one time or another. We’ve all had good and bad experiences with them. Looking in from the consumer’s perspective, we have complaints abounding. Most complaints can be summed up:

- The technician had poor people skills and didn’t care about me or my problem.
- The technician had poor language skills or spoke too quickly to understand,
- Often, a common complaint is plain and simply - just poor technical skills.

Imagine that? A technician that doesn’t know it all! In my IBM days, it was a common saying that if you could walk and chew gum – but were polite, they could train you to fix computers. Oh, how sadly untrue!

And for the record – it’s the other way around! If you can fix computers, we can teach you to walk and chew gum – virtual gum, and walking through a cyber-world. - Just kidding.

As the customer, we’ve become familiar with that drab and monotone voice on the other end of the phone. They condescend you in every word and even mock you! You can easily imagine the tech’s face and actions akin to “whatever” I’ll bet you suspect that they put you on hold to get their colleagues to listen in, or worse yet, put you on speakerphone – while claiming to be getting their 2^nd level support team involved. And as for 2^nd level support, he’s most likely the guy in the next workstation pretending to be the go-to-guy.

In the end, you’re on the phone for an hour, and the problem still exists. The technician told you to download the drivers and call back – your problem that you could access the internet. How can you download the drivers? How about the reassuring “it should work” reply.

To be continued!

So you want a website? (Part 2)

Once the domain name is purchased, you then tell the domain registrar to point the domain to the address of the server you purchased hosting from. The hosting company will have their own name servers. These are servers that direct the people trying to locate your website. Let us compare a name server to an apartment building directory. You are in the lobby, and know the name of the person you want to visit, but not the apartment number. Look in the directory, and you have it. So, the internet surfer has click on your link, they are taken to your hosting company’s web server, and then the name server tells them where your site is located on their servers. The internet visitor sees none of the behind the scenes work, they just get to your site.

Now, you have a name, and a hosting company. You then setup all the emails you need for each department, or person and configure your email software to access those accounts on (outlook, thunderbird, Eudora, etc.) they will retrieve the email from the server and deliver it to your home pc. You may also try simplifyThey are offering free webspace hosting for a limited time.

You then need to build a website and promote it. Companies offering these services are typically split into smaller specialty services – website designers create the graphics, webmasters build the site and place it on the servers. All in one sites such as onsiteguys can build the site with you, make it available on the internet and maintain it for you.

Each change modification to the website requires it to be placed on the host server. Website maintenance and updating is an ongoing, never ending task, and unless you learn to publish your website on your own, be prepared to pay for updates on a regular basis. Each time you need something changed, you have to call the webmaster, or graphics company to make those changes. Making them go live will cost you at minimum an hour of labor.

Shopping carts, e-commerce and credit card payments also require extensive integration with your website, and cost more money. These are considered add on services to your hosting package. Prices vary, and some may include some components free. If you intend on selling products, you may consider using paypal initially, as they are easier to setup. Accepting credit card payments requires a merchant account, and has monthly fees, as well as percentages off of the sales made.

Promoting and marketing your website is if not the most important fact in success. People have to know that it exists. Simply creating a website does nothing for promoting it. You may enlist the services of a SEO (Search Engine Optimization) professional, or purchase search engine submission software to assist.

In a nutshell, decide on a product or service, buy the name and hosting, build the site, promote it, and keep it current by updating it regularly.

If you are unsure about whether you need a site, think of what is already available for free:

- photo storage, photo albums, and photo sharing
- blogs
- product reviews
- online file sharing, storage
- music – storage, sharing, playlists
- web storage space (not for domain names, just empty space)
- paypal, google pay (for buying items over the internet)
- free shopping carts – they take a commission off your sales

You may find that what you need already exists – for free, or a lot less than you anticipated.

So you want a website? (Part 1)

Having your own website means freedom of speech, your own personal place to rant and rave, or somewhere just to setup shop. No matter what the intention, you can do just about anything you need to do online.

Before you start planning and spending the money to get the ball rolling, take a few moments to think about what its real purpose is. You may be surprised to know that many services and products related to websites are free and ultimately can save you lots of time and headaches. Before we talk about those, let’s first describe the website checklist;

Requirements:

– a product or service

– domain name

– hosting and email

– marketing and promotion

– ongoing maintenance, webpage updates

– more marketing and promotion!

– More updates…

I’ll not get into the details of a business plan and research. We’ll assume you are 100% convinced and are ready to take the plunge. The first step is coming up with a domain name. You need to come up with many, and alternative spellings, etc. A good place to search for names is domains bot. .com domain names cost about $8 US each. Each domain name type has a different price, and there are no set prices. Shop around!

If you need to generate names, try dnwiz. Once you have a name, then you need to give it an address. Every webpage on the internet has an address. Think of it as a postal address. People need to be able to find it. It’s address is called an IP address. An IP address will be automatically assigned by the hosting domain registrar – which is where you “pays your money, and gets your name”

Once you have purchased the domain name, you have an address, but no house to put your website. The next step is to find a host. We hosting is typically a company with a room full of network servers split into many shared websites. One server could house thousands of separate websites, all completely independent of each other. This is called shared hosting, and typically runs about $3 – 20 per month for the average hosting package. Watch out for the setup fees; where the hosting is charged monthly, as well as an annual setup fee. Most setup fees can be waived if you purchase hosting by the year.

Hosting packages are defined by many factors, including:

- storage space you will need for your website (how many gigabytes)

- bandwidth requirements (how many visitors will you have each month, and what are they doing at your site? Reading, or getting data, music, or other files from you? (again, measured in gigabytes)

- Uploading – can people give you files and put them on your website?

- Number of email accounts you need

- Storefront (e-commerce, shopping cart, can you accept credit cards)

- Database – will users register to login, will they store any personal information, or interact with your website in any way

- Support for creating and publishing the website with Microsoft FrontPage, or Adobe Dreamweaver (you need special software on the server to allow you to publish the website from your own computer, directly to the internet)

To locate a hosting package you will need to shop around, and may look at hostsearch.

To be continued tomorrow...

Microsoft Office – Give it the Boot!

Microsoft PowerPoint is a component of Microsoft Office. It is used for presentations and slideshows. Microsoft Office itself is a complete suite of applications similar to Lotus 123 for spreadsheets, and WordPerfect for word processing. The problem with Microsoft Office and other proprietary data formats is compatibility – or the lack thereof. The computer industry has very few standards that benefit the consumer. There are thousands of standards for the computer workings and components to make a computer but diddly- squat for the end user. Microsoft would like to have their Office product line be the standard, Corel would like WordPerfect and so on and so on. In the bustle and haste leaves you and I scratching our heads to keep up. Which package do we purchase with our hard earned dollars? What if we don’t like it, or if it doesn’t work for our purposes? Can I return it? Guess What – no. Although to be fair, that is not a blanket statement. Most retailers will put up a fuss for software returns, and will not accept them. But not all of them will refuse. The issue is what’s to stop us from buying it, installing it, copying it and registering it – only to return it and get our money back – while still having a fully functioning copy at homer? Imagine the next person to purchase your returned item – when they try to register it and it fails the registration. Of course You can call software support, but would still be an annoyance.

As with anything successful, there is always something new to come along and copy it, or try to improve upon it. The case being alternatives to Microsoft Office, well to Microsoft – but that’s another story – Two relatively new players in the game are Google Docs and Spreadsheets, and OpenOffice.org. Google’s solution offers a word processor, and a spreadsheet solution. Both are completely free! Open Office has slightly more applications in their suite, including a word processor, a spreadsheet program, a slideshow and presentation program and a drawing utility. Google’s offering doesn’t require any downloads or installation of software, while Open Office does. Once again though, it’s free.

If you absolutely must have Microsoft Office applications, you may download the free viewers for Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Access. If you need to edit them, then use the free solutions from Google and OpenOffice.

Getting Stuff for free - Part 2!

Further to my article (getting stuff for - really?) there are alternate methods to get those goodies for free. These are called paid referrals, referral trading, and conga lines.

Paid referrals and referral trading is a simple concept, where you trade referrals with others. Each helping the other complete their required offers and get the freebie. You complete an offer under their referral code for them to receive the signup credit, and they reciprocate for your free site offer. http://www.refstop.com/ is an example of a community driven website that helps users’ trade referrals. As I mentioned in my previous article, I paid for referrals (pay4trade) which you can do as well. Paid referrals cost somewhere in the $5 – $50 range depending on the value of free item you are after, and the amount of time you wish to advertise the pay 4 trade. Refstop.com charges you a fee to advertise your trade t its members which typically costs $5 – 15 for 10 days. Site members can rate each other on how quickly they completed the offer, and how quickly they were paid for the signup. I spent $60 in advertising, and $180 in referral costs. Each of my signups made $20 on average for completing an offer under my referral account.

Conga lines are like chain letters, where you signup on a list, and graduate up a level as new people are added to the list. These are quite popular, however very hard to manage. Here today gone tomorrow.

Offers vary from medicine to audio clubs. Each offer has different nuances. Many offers will require a credit card to sign up, and will require an ongoing subscription. Other offers may allow you to cancel after a trial period ends, and often will refund your complete costs. It is your responsibility to learn the conditions and ask questions before you take the plunge. Offers may automatically renew a subscription without your consent – which you gave upon your initial signup, and will require you to call them and have the subscription cancelled. Check availability in your country, they may charge you additional shipping. In my case, I had to signup 2 additional referrals to get shipping to Canada. I opted for the paypal cash instead of the 10 referrals for the xbox 360.


Best advice:
- decide on what item you want, estimate its value in a retail store
- research the different websites for the cost (number of referrals) and how much it may cost you to get this item
- check the websites for the offers that you can complete
- check community websites, forums, and other groups to get opinions and advice
- verify that offers are valid in your country, if you get the free item, does it cost more to ship to you?
- what is the general opinion of the site’s reliability, technical support, policies, referral completion time limits
- is the item new, or refurbished (which it may very well be)
- how will you get signups (you cannot spam, if you get caught, they will negate your account)
- will you use conga lines, or referral trading sites


Helpful links: (for your information only, I do not condone or have affiliations with these sites)

Wikipedia (general information)
http://www.refstop.com/ (referral trading, user forums, and pay4trades)
conga lines (general information about conga lines)
forums (refstop user groups)

Getting Stuff for free - really?

We’ve all seen the free ipod websites and those annoying popups. The question is can you really get a free ipod, or a free laptop? How does it all work?

The basic premise behind this is advertisers pay these free stuff website owners a commission for every person they attract to their product. These products are usually in the form of offers, trials, or subscriptions that the consumer signs up for. When a consumer signs up for an offer several things happen. First, the website owner builds his own referral network, which enables him to garner more signups, more traffic, and of course more commissions from advertisers.

Secondly, the consumer builds their own referral network – which is required to be eligible to those free goodies. However, you must complete several steps to start the ball rolling. There are many hoops that you will jump through!

Free items are not supplied from the manufacturers, and usually have no affiliation whatsoever to these free websites. The webmaster simply uses his profits from referrals to buy these items and then send them out.

Once you have selected a website that offers an item you want, you signup. You are then required to complete an offer yourself to activate your account. The offer can be anything from signing up for Columbia House CD/DVD club, or try some new dog biscuits. Every offer is different and has its own pros and cons. Once you have completed your initial offer, you are ready to select the free item. Each item has a price, usually in the form of referrals, or signups. One example may be for a free xbox 360. To receive the free xbox, you need to complete one offer and sign up 8 referrals, who then must each complete one offer themselves, under your referral code. They then can do the same as you and look to signup their friends for something free. This is all similar to a pyramid network.

You cannot signup for an offer more than once, so once you have selected an offer, you cannot use it again on another free site for more free items. If you used Columbia House, then that signup would not be available for a signup on any other free site.

Although annoying, and often too good to be true, they do seem to work. I personally have received an xbox360, however I took another route. I paid for referrals. This is the alternative way to achieve what you want. My xbox360 cost approximately $240 USD.
(I’ll explain this method in another article)

I researched the free website, and found a site that satisfied my criteria. All sites work differently, and may require more referrals for lesser valued product. I needed 8 referrals for the xbox 360, and of course to complete one offer myself. Some sites may require 10 referrals or maybe 7. Not all sites are available in all countries, so read the FAQ or contact the webmaster first to inquire. My free item was a paypal payment because they do not deliver to Canada. I received the paypal payment and purchased the xbox360 from ebay.
Newer developments have added additional criteria such as a time limit of 90 days to complete your referrals. This is bad, because any possible referrals you have under your account can be negated. You would have to start all over. Research and even ask the webmaster before you signup for anything. Sometimes there are FAQ’s on the website which tell you the offers they have available, and what the terms and conditions are.

In most cases, you have to signup with your email address just to find out if they have any offers that interest you, or that you have not already signed up for.