Mothers Who Count

I’ve seen and heard parents try this “counting” thing to get their kids to do what they want.  The point is that if they reach some magic number (it’s normally 3) the kid suffers some form of punishment.

When the kid starts acting up, the parent says, “One,” meaningfully.  As if the “one” might be followed by “two,” which they then follow with “three,” at which point something bad happens.

Kids use the counting time to manipulate the situation more than the parents want.

When I hear a parent start re-counting, especially more than once, I know the kid is winning.  Out my apartment window, I just hear a mother start re-counting five or six times.  “One … two … Jason.  Jason.  Jason!  One … two … Jason!  Jason … One ……..!  Jason!”  How long can you keep that up with your child?

I think that’s what happened to Dee Dee Ramone.  His mother must have done the counting thing to him often as a child.  He never could seem to count higher than three.

$1.00 Switchup at Papa John’s

I called Papa John’s to order a pizza just now.

The lady answers and I say I want the $5.99 pizza for pickup.  She says OK and asks what topping I want.  Half-pepperoni and half-tomato, I replied.

“You can only get pepperoni or cheese,” she informs me.

“I’ll take half pepperoni and half cheese, then.”

She gets my information and then tells me that it’s $6.99 plus tax, and gives me a total over $7.00.  We hang up before it registers that I said I wanted the $5.99 pizza and she said the pizza is $6.99.

I call back and talk to a different employee who is new and doesn’t know why I was charged the extra $1.00, so I asked for a manager.

The manager explains that they charge an extra $1.00 for half-pepperoni and half-cheese.  “Can you just give me a pepperoni pizza, but only put pepperoni on half of it?”

“No, because the $5.99 pizzas are pre-made.”

So I had to ask him to make sure that information is explained to customers during the calls.  It’s not cool to charge me the extra dollar without telling me WHY you’re charging me the extra dollar.

We then cancelled the order and placed one with Round Table.  Their coupon is for a 1-topping pizza for $7.99.  That’s more money, but they accepted an expired coupon(!), and we got it with half tomato.

American Medical Insurance and Me

It is so ridiculous how medical groups they do NOT want to provide treatment. They will go to massive lengths to delay and deny care. I bet they spend unconscionable amounts of money denying care. Meanwhile, they keep charging me every paycheck for providing me with “health coverage,” and they deny and decline providing me care. Why is that an OK practice in the U.S.? To charge me money to tell me they don’t want to provide me with care?

I have been trying to get a referral to a rheumatologist to tell me whether I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome since September 2008. I am finally sent to a rheumatologist on 6/11/2008. She says that I DO have EDS Type 3, and to find out if I have Type 4, I need to get a Dexa Bone Density Scan. She sends me to ask my Primary Doctor for the scan.

On 6/12, I go in to my Primary Doctor’s office and ask him for a referral for a Dexa Bone Density Scan. He puts one in.

One week later (6/19), I call the doctor’s office and ask where the results are. “No response yet, we’re still waiting.”

I tell them it has been a week, and they said with HMO it takes 2 weeks.

I call the insurance company, who tells me the approval should take 3-5 business days. The insurance company calls the medical group, who tells them that the doctor’s office did not send the referral request until 6/18. When I called the doctor’s office to ask why they waited before sending it, they tell me they sent it on 6/12. Someone is lying, and I don’t know who. I have no choice but to wait.

On 6/26, I call back and ask what the status is. The medical group tells me that they faxed my Primary Doctor on 6/23 to ask for more information. I called my doctor and they tell me they never got a fax. Either someone is lying, or something bad happened to that fax, but it all adds up to me not getting medical care. So, what can I do next?

My doctor’s office tells me to call the medical group, who tells me they need information from my doctor’s office. I call my insurance company who tells me they will call my medical group for me, and keeps putting me on and off hold for 30 minutes, after which they hang up on me!

I call my doctor’s office back and they tell me to come in to the office. I do not know why they cannot talk to me on the phone, but I go in to the office.

I sit in the lobby for 30 minutes, and then sit in the doctor’s waiting room. I see two doctors and they both tell me that asking for a Dexa Bone Scan on someone who is only 39 years old is unusual, so the medical group wants more information before they do this. Therefore, my primary doctor tells me to call the specialist and have her fax confirmation to the medical group that I have EDS, so that they can feel confident to go ahead and approve my referral to get the bone density scan.

The whole system is ridiculous.

Here is why it’s important: The Dexa Bone Density Scan is to help determine if I have EDS Type 3 or Type 4. If I have Type 3, it means I will live a painful life of the normal length. EDS Type 4, however, has an expected life span of 40 years. The problem is, I just turned 39 about 3 weeks ago. Therefore, my expected life span from here is less than one year, give or take. Sure, I can be surprising and live to 41, 43, or 45, but that is not expected. Or rather, it is as expected to die early as it is to die late. Anyhow, I would like to KNOW whether I have Type 3 or Type 4. It is tough going to bed every night not knowing.

Fantasy Series Pictures

Some people know that I am writing an epic fantasy series.  Some people work on the series with me, such as Bill DuBay who helps me with character and storyline concepts; Paul Johnson Casey Conner, and Brian Vilarino who played in a role-playing game in the fantasy realm, and many others who have offered suggestions and input over the years of its development.

Today I am writing about another contributor on the artistic side, Amanda.  I was seeking artists to depict some of the characters and the fantasy land, and Amanda does 3d art, and is very friendly and nice.

She has character renditions of three characters so far, Gell, Kelleth Skyspawn, and Chrischrin.  All are wild elves, one of my variants on the standard wood elf.  I have another variant called feral elves.

I am excited about the first character renditions for a story that I have been writing for well over ten years, that I am going to share some details of the story publicly for the first time.

Gell is a ranger of the finest kind.

He serves as an envoy to the high elves, and performs elite missions for both races.  He discovers important information in the first book, and performs dangerous missions that save many lives in the second and third books.

Special powers:

He runs long, long distances through forests, jungles, grasslands tirelessly.  He can cover in 8 hours what the fastest horse can, but he can do it for 20 hours when the horse needs to rest.  When “on a mission,” he can rest alertly for only four hours and be fresh, even after this exertion.

Renowned for his senses.  He can see and hear things at great distances, pick out voices and conversations, the heading of wild animals while he’s stalking, and the direction of a hunter when he’s fleeing.

Kelleth Skyspawn is husband to Kerina, and father to Yrif, and performs his duties as a druid to nature. As a weather evocationist, he can summon lightning, gusts of wind, and bursts of hail in combat; he also performs as many non-combat duties, such as calling and calming storms.

Crischrin is a wild elf historian.  He loves to find contradicting facts in history, investigate through first hand observation, and write the correct history.

He is fascinated with history, specifically racial, family heritage, genealogy, and genetics.

Crischrin has spent centuries traveling, making notes, talking with scholars, giving lectures, and learning about the history of each race.

This fantasy series spans at least three books, perhaps four or five. I have developed several brand-new fantasy races, and changes to the normal fantasy races to make them interesting. I have also created many unique magic types and ways of using magic. You will also find a unique religious system that ties gods to mortals in ways never before seen in fantasy.

You can find Amanda’s other work at AmandaBB’s Portal, check her stuff out: http://amandabb.com/

Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and Me

On 6/11/2009, doctors at Cesars-Sinai officially diagnosed me with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Hypermobility Type, with suspicion of another type of Ehlers Danlos.

This post explains what EDS is, how it affects me, how I initially learned about EDS, and how I eventually got my diagnosis.

What is EDS?
Quoting the Mayo Clinic site on Ehlers-Danlos syndrome:

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a group of inherited disorders that affect your connective tissues — primarily your skin, joints and blood vessel walls. With EDS, genetic mutations disrupt the production of collagen, a chief component of connective tissue.

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is uncommon and occurs in six major types. All types affect your joints, and most also affect your skin. Some of the more prominent symptoms of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome include flexible joints that extend beyond the normal range of movement, and skin that's especially stretchy or fragile.

EDS comes in a large number of types of EDS, many with similar symptoms, therefore we are performing further tests.

Many people misunderstand EDS because individual symptoms might exist in other people, but individual symptoms alone do not indicate the syndrome. For instance, when someone hears that EDS patients present a symptom of hyperextensible limbs, they assume that anyone they know with double-jointedness has EDS. Someone might hear that EDS patients have stretchy skin, and then assume anyone with stretchy skin has EDS.

While someone with hypermobile limbs or stretchy skin might have EDS, they must have several additional qualifying symptoms before they have EDS. Definitely read the additional symptoms before making assumptions about what at first appears to be a benign syndrome.

How EDS affects me - Symptoms
EDS symptoms are not apparent, meaning they are not readily visible to other people. I stand up straight, walk normally, have apparently normal strength, and talk normally. I find it frustrating when people assume an EDS sufferer leads a normal life, other than having hypermobile limbs and stretchy skin.

The May Clinic Ehlers-Danlos syndrome Symptoms page describes many symptoms of the syndrome, separated by category. As it states in the introduction paragraph, symptoms vary widely. Looking back on my life, I can see how many of these symptoms affected me, with the symptoms increasing in intensity as I age.

Basic symptoms
Stretchy skin: Both Doctors Ishimori and Weisman determine that my skin is more stretchy than most, but not as stretchy as extreme cases.
Fragile skin: My skin tears easily.
Abnormal wound healing: My skin heals slowly, scars for atrophic scar tissue rather than healthy skin.
Flexible joints that extend beyond the normal range of movement: My wrists, several fingers, shoulders, back, neck, and kneecaps all extend far beyond normal range. To some extent, my ankles and hips also extend further than normal. Finger joints are lax. Flexible joints are very easy to injure, and heal very slowly and incompletely. Several of my injuries occurred much more severely due to this syndrome, and healed incompletely.
Dislocations of shoulder, knee, fingers, and wrist: My wrists are in a permanent state of semi-dislocation. I can push them back into location, but they slide out again immediately. I can dislocate and relocate my shoulders at will. My kneecaps move around enough so that the knee joint can dislocate partly. Fingers have dislocated several times during sports and relocated.
Muscle weakness: Muscles are very strong for their size, but reach a state of weakness after extended usage that lasts longer than normal.

Hypermobility type symptoms
Loose, unstable joints: Ankles, wrists, and fingers are all loose and unstable. Knees would be unstable if not for the fact that legs build muscle tone easily.
Elastic, velvety skin: Some may not view this as a negative symptom, but leads to the next item.
Slow and poor wound healing leading to wide scarring: Massive scars on my nose, back, and hand due to relatively mild cuts that should not be this bad. Surgery scars on eyes healing slowly.
Chronic degenerative joint disease: Many of my joints have hurt for most of my life, and have been getting worse as I age.
Advanced premature osteoarthritis with chronic pain: Occurs in my wrists, ankles, toes, neck, hips, and knees. Pain also occurs a bit in the fingers.
Heart valve problems (mitral valve prolapse): So far, EKGs show my heart to be healthy.
Many of these symptoms are similar to the Classical type symptoms. Classical type, however, includes hernias.

How EDS affects me – Lifestyle and day-to-day

In 2009, EDS means that a surgery on my back last year, a surgery on my eyes this year, the re-injury of my ankle last year, the re-injury of my wrist two years ago, and the collarbone I broke in 1986 are all causing me extreme pain or discomfort on a daily basis.

The surgery spot on the back and the ankle have the highest “spikes” of hurt, several times a day causing a lot of sharp pain with a throbbing ache around them.

The collarbone I broke in 1986 playing basketball aches, and makes finding a position to sleep in very difficult.

The wrist makes extended typing difficult; I must take frequent breaks even typing this article.

Pain often interrupts my sleep; I wake with pain in my back or collar, sometimes the ankle. I get my best sleep when I take a vicodin right before sleep.

In 2008 and early 2009, had I a definite diagnosis on my condition, I might not have had the eye surgery or used the different steroidal eye drops prescribed by the eye doctor. Other treatments would have gone differently also.

EDS means learning some things about my body, and learning how to express them to people at the right times. For instance, when possible, I need non-surgical solutions, as wounds heal poorly, and deeper surgeries heal even more poorly. Another example: Steroids (such as cortisone) are not good for EDS patients; they do something to the protein or collagen formation.

The Mayo Clinic site on Ehlers-Danlos syndrome has a page on Coping and support. It suggests that we tell others:

Explain your condition to family members, friends and to your employer. Ask your employer if he or she can make any accommodations that you feel will make you a more productive worker. It is up to you how much information you divulge to your co-workers.

That describes why I wrote this article; to help my friends, family, co-workers, and others understand what I am going through.

I know co-workers have had some misunderstandings about what I am going through; it is tough to ask questions and discuss these things. I hope this helps.

Friends who have known me for years may find that this explains a lot.

To learn how I discovered I had EDS, see: How I learned I might have EDS and got my diagnosis

Resources: EDS on medscape, EDS on Mayo Clinic

How I learned I might have EDS and got my diagnosis

In September 2008, I was seeing my fourth ankle specialist of the year to try to find out why my ankle was hurting for several months in a row, Dr. Osep E. Armagan asks me to bend over and touch my toes. He sees that I am very flexible, and asked me to demonstrate other joint extensibility. When he saw how far my kneecaps moved, wrists bend, that my shoulders can dislocate and relocate easily, and how lax my fingers are, he told me he suspects I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.

I began my quest to receive a confirmation of this diagnosis. I called my primary care doctor and asked for a referral to a specialist (either a rheumatologist or geneticist) to determine whether I have the syndrome. I was told they would request a referral and to wait for it in the mail. While waiting, I spent some time every day researching the syndrome online; it appeared to me that I had the symptoms of Hypermobility (formerly called Type 3).

After two weeks of waiting for the referral, I began leaving messages at my doctor’s office, for the medical assistant, and for the office manager. After two weeks of leaving messages asking after my referral and receiving no response, I called my insurance company who put me in touch with the medical assistant. She said that she does not know what Ehlers Danlos Syndrome is, and therefore did not know what to do with the request.

I asked why she never called me back, and she said she did not call because she did not understand the syndrome. Flabbergasted as to why she would not call a patient to find out why he is leaving her so many messages, I explained the basics, and asked for a referral.

Two weeks later, I called the insurance company who looked it up for me; the referral was declined as “not medically necessary.” I continued calling and asking for referrals, and was put off and declined for months.

In February 2009, I started feeling pain in a spot on my back. I had received surgery in the middle of 2008 to remove some abnormal tissue, and a second “deep” surgery to remove more tissue. The surgery site hurt more every day. I had a physical and mentioned it to the doctor, who told me it was merely scar tissue. During another visit weeks later, I showed him again and he again said it is only discomfort from scar tissue, and the stitches are coming apart, and not to worry.

As weeks go by, the pain increases. I call the doctor’s office and ask what to do, and they tell me I should see the dermatologist who originally did the surgery. They tell me they will put in a referral request. Two weeks go by with no response, so I call several times and leave messages. I receive no response, so call the insurance company who looks up the referral request: Declined due to patient request for referral.

Upon investigation, the insurance company told me that the doctor’s office knew when they put in the referral request that the review board would decline it. The doctor’s office phrased it in such a way that made the decline expected; they got me declined on purpose? I asked the insurance company why the doctor’s office would do that, and why they will not ever call me back. They tell me “the doctor’s office has to run itself like a business. Therefore, they have to choose who to call back, and who to go to bat for on referrals. I know it sounds crass, but that is the reality of the situation.”

Therefore, I began the painful process of changing medical groups. With a new medical group and a new primary doctor, I go and present my history and suspicion that I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. “I would like a referral to either a rheumatologist or a geneticist so that they can confirm this diagnosis.” Instead, he refers me to a dermatologist to look at the surgery site on my back.

When I see the dermatologist, he recognizes that I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome in mere moments. The feel of the skin, the laxity of the finger joints, the extensibility of the wrists and knees, the multiple problems with the eyes, and the atrophic formation of the scar tissue on my surgery site all clue him in. On May 7, 2009, Dr. Milton Kaplan writes me a referral to a rheumatologist, something I have been seeking since September 2008!

When I got the referral in the mail, it was for a doctor with a horrible doctor history. Cesars Sinai fired this doctor for a multitude of issues involving patient care, misdiagnosis, misrepresentation of patient health to insurance companies, etc. I called the medical group and asked for a different doctor. Next, the medical group assigned me to the Director of Rheumatology at Cesars Sinai, Michael H. Weisman, MD, however he had no opening for over a month, so I made an appointment with another rheumatologist at Cedars-Sinai, Mariko L. Ishimori, MD.

I had my appointment on June 11, 2009. I found Dr. Ishimori amazingly pleasant, attentive, and intelligent, even for a doctor. She used terminology I was comfortable with and explained things well. During our 45-minute session, she brought in Dr. Weisman (the Director of Rheumatology) to consult. They agree 100% that I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Hypermobility Type. There is a possibility that I also have another type of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome as well, which also exhibits hypermobile or hyperextensible limbs. One test was run on 6/11, a Vitamin D panel. She also recommended I get a Dexa Bone Density Scan to find out my bone density. If both are low, it might indicate I have another type, and further testing is necessary.

List of New Bugs!

Software vendors should offer a list of new bugs they introduce with a version of software, as well as a list of new “features” they introduce.

I’ve been using Adobe RoboHelp since before it was owned by Adobe.  Since Adobe got it, they have released several new versions (and sub-versions), each listing new “features.”

Since 2003, the features released for RoboHelp don’t work as described.  Often a feature like, “Works better with Microsoft Word” means the exact opposite.  Upgrading from version 5 to version 6 made the integration with Word worse, not better.

So we pay for an upgrade hoping it will fix long-standing bugs, and maybe looking forward to some new features.  The features are weak, the old bugs aren’t fixed, and we find new bugs.  This has been happening since 2003.  Yes, it costs us money to get more bugs and seemingly no useful features and no bug fixes.

A list of new bugs for RoboHelp 7.01.003 looks something like this:

Manually create folders! (Actual new bug!)
With 7.01.003, you now have to manually create graphics folders in your production folder!  We no longer create them for you, and we certainly don’t copy graphics into those nonexistent folders.  Now, every time you create a topic with an image, you must manually copy the folder to your publish folder or all images will show up with a red “x” to your viewers!

Randomly lose the name of a file! (Actual new bug!)
Your documentation job was too easy.  How about we spice it up with this new feature!  Now your topics will randomly lose file names.  Don’t worry, it’s easy to get them back - merely right-click the file, go to properties, and then Save the properties; the file name comes back!  You now get the “opportunity” to do this dozens of times per day as topics randomly lose file names!

More useless features!
We told you this version would come with new ways to get your work done quickly.  I hope you’re ready to spend hours learning how to do the same thing a whole new way.

Works better with Microsoft Word (just don’t call us)
Although we say we now integrate with Microsoft Word better than ever before, expect our tech support to scoff at you and demean you when you call in to say you’re using Word.  We’ll use phrases like, “It’s the Best Practice to use our own editor and not a third-party editor,” rather than saying, “We don’t like to work with other software.”

More workarounds than ever before!
We’ve introduced so many new issues and problems with 7.01.003 that we had to create a ton of new workarounds.  Now when you call technical support, we won’t use the same tired lines like, “Reboot your computer,” “Delete all .fpj files and then re-run the application,” and, “It’s not Best Practice to use other software with our software.”  You can hear new workarounds like, “Rename the .fpj file to .bak and then re-run the application,” and, “Try to uninstall and reinstall RoboHelp.”

Harder than ever to get tech support!
Now when you call for technical support, one person verifies all of your information, such as the software you’re using, the version of the software, your phone number, your e-mail address, and your name.

They then transfer you to another person, who verifies all of your information, such as the software you’re using, the version of the software, your phone number, and your e-mail address.

After that, you can talk to a person who will verify information such as the software you’re using, the version of the software, your phone number, and your e-mail address.

When done with that person, they will transfer you to a dead line where you will hear silence.  You can call back and start over if you like.

Social Networking for Authors

I’m writing a series of Squidoo Lenses (Squidoo Lenses are like specialty topic articles) which teach authors and writers how to talk about their work socially.

While it’s important for creators to focus on content first, you won’t find viewers for your writing unless you learn how to reach out to them first.

The series of articles teaches writers and authors (and other content contributors) how to discuss your work with potential viewers and fans to get more regular viewership.

The first page, Social Networking for Authors, is the introduction to the series of articles.  It leads to Social Platform for Authors which teaches why a writer wants to socially network.

The Twitter for Authors page teaches how to set up a Twitter account and how to use Twitter to connect with others.  The Digg for Authors page talks about using Digg to discuss your writing.

The series is still forming and I’m open to your suggestions.

Why you should Follow, Volume 2

People you should follow on Twitter (and elsewhere), and why, Volume 2.

This is my series of Blog posts where I talk about cool people you should Follow on Twitter, and why.  You often see people suggesting that you Follow @so-and-so or @MyBestFriend but they never tell you why.  I’ve been guilty of doing this, too; after all, I know why you should follow these people!

Then one day, I saw @sharonhayes tweet a link to a Blog post she had written describing why she thought certain people deserved a Follow, and I was inspired to write my own.  See Why you should #Follow these people (volumne 1).

In today’s Blog post of people you should follow, I’m listing two people and two bands.

Kim Sherrell
First we’ll talk about @KimSherrell.

Kim Sherrell makes friends easily and is a perfectionist, qualities which go well with her job producing and directing a comedy project.

Kim is a creative innovator who is very engaged with social media. In addition to producing a new sitcom, she oversees the ROFL Industries Interactive Comedy Test Kitchen, where she is head of research and social media.

A well-connected influencer, Kim ranks in the Top 10 Twitter Elite http://twitter.grader.com/top/users and is a member of the 140 Characters NYC Conference. Along with Jeff Pulver, Chris Brogan, Tim O’Reilly, Rick Sanchez, PR Sarah Evans, and iJustine, the group will explore the disruptive nature of social media on entertainment, publishing, celebrity, politics, and business. http://www.140conf.com/characters

Kim is the founder of #artwalk, a virtual art tour with a global following. The event features works by contemporary artists and is held simultaneously in over 100 cities on the last Tuesday of each month. http://art-walk.ning.com/profiles/members http://www.kimsherrell.com/2009/05/2nd-artwalk-where-is-best-art-ow.html

She tweets about several topics, all of which she lists in her bio.  If you send a link on one of those topics and @mention her in it, she will usually RT it.

Her Bio:
producer/director of a new comedy project. i tweet about art, design, film, music, video, tech, culture + twitter … current projects: #artwalk #bob #casting :::

Why follow:  If you like her topics of interest, you definitely want to follow her.  She will send tweets which contain links to pages you will find useful.  As you can see by her number of friends and updates, she is not shy, so give her a Follow today and see what kind of value she adds to your Twitter experience!  @KimSherrell

YouTellConcerts
This is actually two guys: @YouTellConcerts and @YTC_Mofo.

Bryan runs @YouTellConcerts and Lorn runs @YTC_Mofo.

These guys cover concerts in the Los Angeles area, tweet about them, and write reviews about them.

I know what you’re thinking.  “Wait a moment, Sean … isn’t that what you do?  Aren’t these guys competition for you?”

To that question I reply:  Have you been to Los Angeles?  Do you have any idea how many concerts happen here?  We’re looking for the day that we happen to go to the same concert so we can hook up, it’s a rare day that we’ll be covering the same show.  Even if we do, we’ll probably link to each other’s articles!

No modesty in the YouTellConcerts Bio:
We Rock! Video Concert Reviews from FANS like you! Artist Interviews with your favorite bands! (Bryan runs this twitter - Check out @YTC_Mofo for Lorn.)

Why follow:  @concertreviewer can’t review all concerts, and Los Angeles has so many shows that following both of us means we’ve got you covered.  YTC also hosts events such as Something Cool (Mercy Lounge, 6/3/09), which you can find out about if you follow them on Twitter.  Add:  @YouTellConcerts and @YTC_Mofo

Winslow
Next is a band called Winslow.  You can find them on Twitter @winslowsoul.

Winslow is a band from Ohio who cares about their fans, and not being commercial or rich.  You can often find their singer, Maurice, behind the Twitter-wheel, chatting with fans and talking about their shows or their music.

Watch their concert videos and you’ll see a band passionately in to their music, who wants to make each performance unique and special.  You can buy their posters for $2 and shirts for $8, a low price to support a cool band.  How many times have you seen $50 shirts at shows?

The band was recently a Feature Artist on examiner.com.  Listen to Winslow’s music on MySpace, be sure and make friends with them there!

Their bio talks about Maurice, the singer and manager:
Singer. Songwriter. Manager. Guy who dares to dream...

Why follow:  It’s fun to chat with musicians on Twitter.  It’s even more fun when they chat back (or when the actual artist chats back, and not someone paid to sit at the Twitter console).  With Winslow, you get to chat with the guy who writes and sings the songs and manages the band.  Mainly, these guys are “real” and not commercial, and it’s a rare pleasure to find someone like that on Twitter.

Plus, it’s fun to sit around and think about the name of the band.  What’s it like to Winquick?  Add:  @winslowsoul

Freddy Jones Band
Freddy Jones Band is from Chicago.  Find them on Twitter:
@freddyjonesband

This band spent ten years playing together from 1990 to 2000 before taking a break, and got back together in 2005.

These people have obviously been playing together for some time.  As I watch their concert performances, I am reminded of classic jam music, with a sound between Derek Trucks and Allman Brothers.

A very simple bio to accurately describe the band:
Roots-rock band from Chicago, IL

Why follow:  The band has a very loyal fanbase of devoted followers.  It’s fun to see them get excited for shows and new fans.  The account driver is polite and does frequent RT.  Give them a Follow and say “Hi”: @freddyjonesband

Sean Arenas
Concert Reviewer
If you liked this Blog post, consider following me:  @concertreviewer and checking out my Los Angeles Concerts Examiner column in examiner.com.

Something is technically wrong.

Thanks for noticing - we’re going to fix it up and have things back to normal soon.

That’s what I see when I go to Twitter.com now, and often for the last few hours.

That is, when I’m not seeing the message:
Oops! This link appears to be broken.

That’s a Chrome message, though.  Curious whether it was a browser issue, I tried Internet Explorer, and got this message:
Cannot find “http://www.twitter.com/” and
DNS Error - Server cannot be found.

It’s enough to make me want to log in to IM and ask, “Is The Twitter broken?”  I did, too.I would have Tweeted the question to my tweeps, but it’s like the old George Carlin joke, “Honk if your horn is broken.”  In this case it’s, “Tweet if Twitter is broken.”

Icons
I’m trying to figure out the different icons on the Twitter error screen.

Here’s a miniature version of it.

One might assume the icons would represent something so let’s look at them one at a time.

The Bird
The bird is the easiest one to figure out.  This is Twitter, after all, and we expect to see birds.  Chirp, chirp.

Notice the round shadow, apparently his feathers cast no shadow.

The Robot
Next is this robot guy.

I can guess he’s the fix-it guy and is going to make things better.

Honestly, I don’t find this little guy all that inspiring.  What do you think? 

The Robot Hand
This is a big reason The Robot is not very inspiring.  His hand seems to be missing in the picture above.

Fortunately, we have found the hand.  Maybe that’s why Twitter is broken.

The Clouds
I’m guessing the clouds are here to represent the sky, so the bird can have something to fly in, when he’s ready to fly.

When I go to status.twitter.com, I find that they apparently are having some issues:
Unscheduled downtime
41 minutes ago
We are investigating the problem and will update status shortly.
Update: We have found the problem and are working to correct.
Update: We have corrected a fatal software error. The site is back up.

Although it says it’s back up, I can only get on intermittently.  At least there’s no white whale, I am calling in Ishmael for the next time I see it…

--- Update 30 minutes later ---

Ahhhhh, there’s the whale!

Call out Ishmael!

Twitter is over capacity.
Too many tweets! Please wait a moment and try again.

Let’s see this become a Trending Topic!

Why you should #Follow these people

Rather than just send blind #FollowFriday or #FF recommendations, I thought I would take a tip from @sharonhayes and make a post about my favorite people.  This is my expanded Blog version of:

@concertreviewer #FollowFriday #FF @2tammytodd @metiche76 @joshuadenney @sharonhayes

Tammy Todd
First on my list is @2tammytodd

Tammy is a writer and reporter who writes for several online publications.  She can get away with this because she’s an expert in several topics.

She writes full time; it’s not only her passion, it’s her living.  Her most commonly read column is published in at examiner.com and is called NY Bargain Entertainment Examiner.  Tammy Todd is a freelance writer and comic who writes about the NYC scene. When it comes to bargain entertainment, Tammy can show you how to have fun in the Big Apple without the big price tag.

Quoting from her Twitter bio:  Writer/Reporter. My beat: NYC entertainment and Sports. Writing novel about being Native (Apache). Foodie, news/political junkie, into volunteering and music.

Why follow:  As a writer, Tammy expresses herself well.  She is talkative and is happy to engage her fans on Twitter.  She re-tweets interesting content.  As an expert on several topics, she is knowledgeable and can participate in diverse conversations.

Alycia Sevier-Johnson
Next on my list:  @metiche76

Alycia Sevier-Johnson (everyone calls her “Alice”) is a friend who goes to concerts with me and is fun to share music with on Twitter.

Passionate about music of all eras and of concerts, Alice is easy to talk to about your favorite band.

According to her Twitter bio, she is a “30 something blip-aholic and music fanatic.”

You can also find Alice on MySpace and Alice’s Blip.fm station, where you can listen to her music mix.

Why follow:  Alice is open and honest.  She re-tweets content about music and concerts, and will play music just for you on her music channel if you’re her friend!

Joshua Denney
Get to know @joshuadenney

Joshua does a lot of things online; and probably has the most diverse list of interests of any of my friends.  Despite this variety of interests, he still seems to be someone who needs a reason for everything he does.  So when he does something, it’s easy to trust that he has a true motive behind it.

He makes Web sites and knows a lot about online media.

From his Twitter bio:
I make music, manage talent, design things, write stuff, instill confidence, connect people and think a lot. I am also EXTREMELY funny.

Why follow:  Joshua is a willing-to-help kind of guy who wants to see other people succeed.  Unlike most Web developers you’ll meet on Twitter, he’ll remember your from day to day; that’s because he’s here for the community, not just himself.

Learn more about Joshua Denney here.

What did you think?
If you like the idea of posting a Blog article talking about why you should follow someone for #FollowFriday or #FF recommendations, instead of blindly listing them, post a comment and let me know!  If this is popular enough, I may do this every week.

Thank Sharon Hayes for this idea
Follow @sharonhayes for giving me the idea for this post.  It’s like a VAT - a Value Added Tweet.  Thanks Sharon Hayes!

Name Sharon Hayes
Location Canada
Web http://www.hayes.net
Bio Entrepreneur, Motivator, Domains Domainate.com, Email Marketing Listcast.com, @reply 4 follow ♥ music news tech fitness coffee green REI travel sushi smiles

Why follow:  Inspiring, real person.

 

Please follow me
If you are not already one of my followers, please follow me.  I am @concertreviewer

Why follow:
I write for examiner.com as a concert reviewer.  Find my professional column here.  I talk about music, concert events, and writing.  I help promote bands in the Los Angeles area.  I will Follow Back if you show me you’re a real person and not a spamming social marketer, and will re-tweet your content if I find it interesting or amusing.

#3words : 3 Words Hash Tags on Twitter

Recently I’ve seen a slew of #3words- hashtag conversations on Twitter.  These are amusing conversations about the topic listed in the hashtag.  (If you aren’t familiar with hashtags and how they are used on Twitter, I recommend you read the hashtags page at Twitter Fan Wiki.)

Technorati Tags: twitter

For example, some #3words- hashtag conversations have been so popular that they show up on the Trending Topics list.  #3breakupwords and #3wordsaftersex are two that appear as of the time of this writing.

To search these topics, click the link on the Trending Topics list, click the hash tag when it shows up on any Twitter stream, or enter the hashtag in the Twitter search box and click the Search button.

People come up with a three-word phrase that matches the topic at hand.  The goal is to be so fall-out-of-your-chair funny that people RT (Re-Tweet) the message.  Scrolling down the list, I can find three funny ones right away.  I like them enough to repeat them here:

• I’m not done
• I’ll try tomorrow
• Maybe next time

Once you have read enough to feel up to participating, send yours by typing the hashtag first, followed by your 3-word message, and then click Update.

Your message will appear on your follower’s pages, and on the hashtag list when someone does a search for that term.  Plus, if someone RTs your comment, more people will see it.

To learn about new hashtag conversations, visit hashtags.org and do a search for a term.  Enter a hashtag in the search box, and then click search.

To can see a list of all hashtags, click Tags, and then click directory.  Click a number or letter at the top, and then flip through the pages at the bottom.  As of the time of this writing, most good #3word conversations are on pages 45-48.

One thing I find personally amusing is misspelled hashtags, or hashtags where the author was trying to get “clever.”  There are many, many examples, but I will list some of my favorites here (click on any search terms below the screenshots to see!):

#3wordzaftersex #3wordzduringsex #3worfsaftersex #3workaftersex
#3workdslibshate #3worksyouusedaily #3worldsaftersex
#3worsaftersex #3worsafterwork #3worsdaftersex #3worsdsduringsex
#3worsduringsex

 
#3wordsafterse #3wordsaftersechs #3wordsaftersect #3wordsafterses
#3wordsaftersew

Yosean is Sean Arenas, the Los Angeles Concerts Examiner for examiner.com.

Practice what you Preach on Twitter

I’m constantly amused by the SEO marketers, affiliate marketers, Internet marketers, and other related fields who preach programs to gain tens of thousands of followers.  I’m especially amused when they don’t have that number of followers themselves.

I also can’t figure out people who have confusing bios – maybe it’s an “in” joke with their friends.

Witness Stewart Harding.  If Stewart had a surefire way to get tens of thousands of new Twitter followers, you would think that he would have tens of thousands of followers.  Let’s say at least ten thousand followers.  Certainly you would not expect him to have 2,143 followers.  When I see this, it tells me that his plan to get me tens of thousands of followers must not work well, or he would have used it himself.  You know the whole, “I’m not just the president, I’m a client” thing; where’s his proof of results?  This is like a bald man being the president of the hair club for men.

Here’s someone who knows how to get thousands of followers, but they have only 204 followers.

Somehow it doesn’t feel like strong “truth in advertising.”  The most confusing ting is I can’t figure out what to expect from this person.  Is their location Virginia?  North Carolina?  Pennsylvania?  Maryland?  South Carolina?  Where is she local to?  And the Bio is confusing also.

Take an account like @concertreviewer.

No claims to bring you more followers, no promise to grow your global enterprise, no suggestions on how to get tens of thousands of followers.  Just a statement about writing for examiner.com about concerts, and an e-mail address to contact if you are in a band.

Next we look at @2tammytodd. 

Again, no claims to gain thousands of followers and earn money on Twitter, but a statement about what to expect if you follow her.

Also notice that she has more followers than either of the people who claim to know secrets about getting thousands of followers.

Now we see the profile of @joshuadenney.

Again, thousands of followers without telling you how to get them yourself.  His bio tells you all about him, although it’s hard to tell how much of it is honest.  There is that last sentence to consider.

I have recently gone on an UnFollow Frenzy (which I used to do only on #UnFollowFriday) and have removed many, many SEO marketers and affiliate marketers.  I’m much more happy now to not have their spam stream, and if they UnFollow Back, I’m OK with that too.  They weren’t going to be interested in my message.

The point here is:  Be honest with your profile.  If you tell me you know the secret to get 90,000 followers in 90 days (an actual claim I’ve seen), you had better have more than 90,000 followers.  If you follow three times as many people as you have following you, I probably don’t want your secret to getting new followers.

LA Concerts Examiner: Trent Reznor – social marketing and sc

Info on Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction concert tour. Trent Reznor on ticket scalpers. Trent Reznor on social marketing.

read more | digg story

LA Concert Examiner – Sean Arenas

I recently applied to be the Los Angeles Concert Examiner at examiner.com.

Fortunately I had a very nice referrer, @2tammytodd.  She is the NY Bargain Entertainment Examiner and has many articles to her name.  Check out her page if you’re going to be in the area and are looking for some things to do that aren’t hideously expensive!

I showed them my credentials:

• Your Concert Reviewer (yourconcertreviewer.com, my concert review Blog)
• TSI Show (tsishow.com, the technical support comedy series I write and produce)
• You Park Rudely (youparkrudely.com, where I post pictures of rudely parked cars)

(well OK, I didn’t show them the last one…)

Apparently my credentials and my reference were good enough as I am now the official LA Concert Examiner.

I posted my first article last night.  It’s about the NINJA2009 tour, Trent Reznor, ticket scalpers, and how Trent uses social media to connect with fans.  I also give away some presale codes that are active in 5 minutes, check it out!