After my latest Wordpress update (which as a manual one, with a whole lot of  mysql issues!) I finally got my blog up and running again, only to find all my apostrophes appearing as “â€TM” –stupid junk characters. After going into panic mode for about two minutes, I figured out the solution, at least in my case.

It was quite simple, jump in my wp-config, and comment out two lines.

# define(‘DB_CHARSET’, ‘utf8′);

# define(‘DB_COLLATE’, ”);

There have been a few too many times in life where people around me speak about winning the lottery, or coming into a large amount of cash some other way (rich-uncle on the verge of kicking it?) Each time folks get into this sort of conversation I sit and listen. Everyone has dreams, hopes, and simple aspirations –I know I do. Everyone always starts with the “I’d buy…” list, and then some move into the “I’d start my own…” list, and when its folks my age there’s always the “I’d get out of college and…” [ruin their life, I’m sure] list.

My list also has most of that, I would buy myself a nice car right off the bat, I’d also start my own business, I wouldn’t leave college, but there’s more. From an early age I was taught that without an education (or some damn good skills,) you simply aren’t worth the air you breathe.. As I grew older I found that to be more and more true, so leaving college is out of the question.

Now here comes the part where I wish I had a few million bucks to spare. I’d love to go out into my community and others, to help empower folks. No cash give-aways, no free cars a-la Oprah, no PC’s in the classroom or libraries, no parks down the street –all of which are good, don’t get me wrong, but not what I’d do. At this point you might be wondering what on earth I have in mind, so here it is: Micro loans, small business training, angel investments, and guidance. Truly empowering folks to help themselves and help their communities for a long period of time.

If I don’t win the lotto some day, or I don’t make it big, I really hope I can accomplish some of what is on that list. Some I can start now simply based on what I’ve learned about business administration, start ups, marketing, and advertising –among other stuff I know and love. I try to go around looking or opportunities to help on a small scale (sometimes as small as helping with a simple press release); but there are a whole lot of thoughts that just spin in my mind after I ask myself how I could possibly make the world a little better…

As a kid I grew up a Democrat, and from an early age everyone around me seemed to paint the political parties in a black or white, rich or poor way. Democrats help poor people, and the middle class; Republicans are all rich white people who only help their selves! –Two concepts that I bought into for the first decade of my life and never questioned. And then at the ripe age of 11, I realized there was more to it than folks had led me to believe.

During the 2000 elections, being a kid (Yes, I’m really THAT young,) I really had no political view. I supported George Bush because I thought he’d been cool as Texas’ governor, and because it was fun to play devils advocate (one of my favorite pastimes,) with the other kids, during their in-school mock elections. At some point I got darn curious, so I got online and read everything I could about what each party stood for. Education, abortion, taxation, and national security, as I took a closer look at what each party was trying to accomplish, I felt I was more in line with the Republican party. It was just that simple, from that point onward, I was a Republican; a quiet Republican. The terrible attacks of 9-11 only solidified this for me during the months� ahead –national security got a bigger� chunk� of my awareness, and will always be the most important aspect of my political views.

By 2004 I remember being in my history class, and being asked who I supported during the democratic primaries. My answer of “George Bush” took my teacher and class by surprise; my first taste of liberal hate. (‘Liberal hate’ tastes a bit bitter, and pretty moist –which I attribute to drinkin’ haterade.)

Little has changed since then, I usually try tell them (the haters) why I lean right, and why I support the candidates I do, but they rarely listen. I also try explaining that I will vote for a Democrat if they are the better candidate –which is completely true, but they dismiss.� So then I ask if they’ll ever vote for a Republican, and I usually get a “No!” or “Hell no!” –So much for open minds. If I have time, I tell them how I came to my position on the political spectrum. But it’s a long story, and at some point I’m usually interrupted before I am done.

Meanwhile, as time goes by that story gets longer and longer. At this point, I’m officially a Republican, but my views aren’t in line with those heading up my party, setting the agenda, and making MY party less inclusive instead of more. Years ago when I ran from the far left, I ran to the far right; while there, I realized it wasn’t the place for me. At this point, I’m just annoyed.

I’m annoyed at the way that my country, my party, and my vote aren’t what they should be. I’m annoyed with my new president, I’m annoyed with congress, and I’m annoyed by those in my party who only play inside party lines, as well democrats who do the same. After an elections dominated by promises of hope, change, honesty, and openness… almost no one is rising to the occasion. I’m frankly saddened by our government getting deeper and deeper into all of our lives, and all the bureaucratic nonsense to come. Like I said, the annoyance is building as our political parties are hijacked by the extremists.

Up until about a few years ago my family had a favorite place to go out and eat in McAllen, Peso Bills on north 10th. The restaurant started off as “Bonanza,” and years later transitioned into “Peso Bills.”� For years a huge chunk of my family got together for lunch or dinner at our favorite spot, and we weren’t the only ones who liked it.

Getting in during lunch was a pain in the ass. There were long lines to order, (yes, to order,) plus no space to sit sometimes –yet everyone didn’t seem to mind. We packed in to the horribly dated restaurant that featured some oh so sexy 80’s décor, and we genuinely enjoyed our time there. Meanwhile, the managers and crew had come to know most of my family by name over the years.� The other folks who worked there were always really nice, plus the food was just damn great.

There was a lot on the menu, but the one thing everyone in the family seemed to love was the “Chicken Monterey;” charbroiled boneless chicken breast(s) smothered in some damn good sauce, (which is actually Wishbone’s Western salad dressing.) In any case, growing up I spent a lot of time there (it’s a miracle I wasn’t tubby back then,) but we frequented often… that is, until it was gone.

Peso Bills closed without much of a warning. It was just sprung on everyone, (including the workers.) And after it was gone finding a good place to eat where everyone was happy, got so much harder. There were plenty of moments at other restaurants where someone said “I wish Peso Bills was still open.”

And in fact, Peso Bills was open –in Harlingen. When the die-hard fans of Peso Bills found out, there were suddenly more excuses to visit Harlingen, and of course, Peso Bills.

The last time I dined at Peso Bills a few of us decided to ask our waiter how many people mention the old location in McAllen. I wasn’t expecting much, but he said “Tons, I get people asking why the one in McAllen closed ALL THE TIME.” I couldn’t imagine the restaurant having a following after being closed for what I’m guessing is 9 years, (other than my foodie family,) but it does.

Building a brand image and keeping it positive year after year, including when the brand no longer exists… isn’t easy. There were (or are,) a few more Peso Bills’ out there, and they all probably have the same great food. But the fact is this location, in particular, had great management and a great team, that really made it that much better.

And because I have A.D.D. and can’t stick to my topic; I must mention that over time I managed to get my hands on the Western dressing the only way I could, which is ordering it direct and playing about 4 bucks a bottle, and I now make my own “Chicken Monterey” at home;� The thing is… no one has forgotten the friendly place that once served it up for us. And truly earned our loyalty.

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Throughout the years I’ve started numerous online side-projects and the bulk of them are no longer around, and no longer in mind. Given the fact that I can code, design, and promote my work myself, there is really nothing holding me back from starting up just about anything that tickles my fancy at the moment.

While starting them up might be easy, shutting them down isn’t always that simple for me. Over the years I’ve noticed there is a set of signals when it’s time to kill a project:

1. When you’ve given it your all and haven’t reaped any reward. This was the case for many of my first projects, I’d build, I’d connect, and in the end, there was really nothing in it for me other than the fun. When the fun was gone, so was my interest and in turn, the plug would be pulled.
2. When you simply don’t have the time. My last part-time blog –so to speak, fell victim to this. Not having the time to devote to a project simply means it should be killed. If you have an active community on the site, you can consider handing over administrative power to worthy users.
3. When I just doesn’t feel right. Sometimes something seems fun for a while, but it wears off and you’re left with a project that you really aren’t that into anymore. Dragging your feet to keep it going isn’t worth it.

Over the years a lot of my projects have gone the way of the dinosaur, sometimes getting rid of them and moving on isn’t easy. I have blank and parked domains that I can’t bear to let go of just yet. I also have ideas that have come to me in hindsight which make me wish I could do it all again –and I get temped to, but I know right now is not the time. As I drawn down on my online side projects I look forward to having some fun in the future, but for now I’m finding myself more drawn to keeping this blog as active as humanly possible –after all, there is always time to start things up later.

No one knows the issues like those on the front lines. From a management standpoint sometimes shutting up long enough to listen can really go a long way; however, this is often not an option for the grumpier, or old-school bunch, who prefer to bark orders and have every issue work its way up the chain of command.

In life and in business 99% of the time ever decision will have both its pros and cons, deciding to promote an open-door policy also has its own, here’s a look at them.

Pros:

1. It can often lead to an un-biased look into what employees on the frontlines have to deal with. Sometimes problems get sugar-coated on the way up the chain of command so supervisors can over their own ass, this is a good way to avoid it.
2. Being readily available when problems or concerns surface puts you in a position to take of them faster and minimize or eliminate any possible damage.
3. Employee trust is generated easily when the ‘higher-ups’ actually listen.

Cons:

1. Taking the time to talk to everyone who has a problem can really bog down productivity.
   
2. One person’s “problem” might not really be a problem; and watching out for false or misleading information would have to be taken into account.

Pros and cons aside you must also set a tone early on that frivolousness banter will not be tolerated. And be ready to ask the most important question before any conversations takes place; “Have you brought up this issue with your immediate supervisor?”

In the end and in my opinion, there really is no price too high to pay for building trust, while being readily available to listen to and actually solve problems before they blow out of proportion, and there is no better policy than the open door one.

I love the look on people’s faces when they walk into a reception area and are trying to get some attention… only to find that they won’t be seen. It’s always an awkward moment for just about everyone involved. I also love when the situation turns into a wordy and often tedious “why the hell not?!” type of moment. The poor guy or gal breaking the news often is the target of animosity –that’s where my human side kicks in, and I feel bad.

99% of the time it’s really not the receptionists fault the person can’t be seen or meet with, there are always behind the scene factors; be-it more important engagements or prior-issues revolving around the person being turned away, there is often more to the story than readily evident. The gatekeeper is the business-communications term to describe this position, (in my example the receptionist is the gatekeeper,) they are the key to getting what you want. From the small-business secretary, to the Chief of Staff of CEO’s, and The White House, gatekeepers have tremendous power and often bear the brunt of executive decisions. (Sometimes for minimum wage –ouch!)

Those being turned away tend to feel its some personal vendetta. When this is going on inside workplaces it gets even more interesting, I’ve heard everything from “She hates me!” to “I slept with him weeks ago and he never called back!” and the ever popular “They want my promotion!” It happens all the time, and frankly, as entertaining it gets for outsiders like me; it really can destroy a workplace.

Trying to round up this post I’ll just draw on a few thoughts about the matter and how to avoid public drama.

From the supervisors point of view; if you are trying to avoid somebody, just suck-it-up and deal with the issue at hand. There is no sense in giving someone the run around and making everyone’s day that much worse. If they are a client, they deserve answers. If they are an employee, they deserve answers. If they are coworkers, they also deserve answers. Hiding from problems doesn’t make them go away.

As gatekeeper; try to do your job professionally and in a manner that won’t bring your integrity into question. Avoid words that don’t get to the point. Don’t bother with saying things like “You’ll been seen as soon as possible,” when you know that isn’t the case, and for most folks that just won’t cut it, you look like the jerk. Stick to answers that leave things open, or simply apologize and say you simple don’t know when they’ll be seen and offer to take down some contact info. There is also the option to push the higher-up into confronting what needs to be confronted. Be careful being pushy, as it can be tricky to pull off and not seem overshadowing

As the person being given the run-around; stay calm, avoid harsh words, and even words that don’t seem so harsh but just feed into more chaos. Give people a shot at making things work and don’t go around being the workplace drama queen airing out reasons why people must not like you. Simply chill-out.

Everyone has had a terrible experience with a business or organization. There’s no way to avoid them, but some of them are quite common. Here’s the top five customer service mistakes that absolutely tick me off.

1. Exaggeration.
Dealing with companies/organizations that exaggerate their knowledge and success, is really a quick way to a horrible experience. When you constantly stump those who are supposed to be fully knowledgeable, it quickly turns into a hectic scene. I’ve personally dealt with a few of those types of companies that bloat what they think they know, and then have no answers to my questions. No business should claim outstanding ability if they don’t posses it; moreover, they should all be honest about their limitations.

2. Language barriers.
Calling a company and getting redirected to the other side of the world is almost always unpleasant. When you’re calling a local place language barriers can be just as intimidating and annoying, they can cause people to avoid certain brands and products. Walking into a store and realizing no one knows a lick of English is also very unpleasant. Unless you receive clear and concise answers customer service is useless.

3. Long wait times due to lack of customer service reps.
Being put on hold for 30 minutes isn’t cool; waiting for a representative in person isn’t either. Waiting minutes and minutes on end to simply chat with an online representative can also prove to be tricky, and when email responses take days to get, that option isn’t much fun either. Most of my grr-moments can be attributed to lack of CSRs, businesses sometimes forget or can’t expand their customer service abilities as their company grows –not cool.

4. Runaround when canceling services.
Time and time again lists of the worst companies tied to companies they simply avoid having you cancel their services. AOL is the most notable and has gained a reputation for being so pushy when annoying when someone calls to cancel their service. Allot of companies seem to fail to fully realize that if they can’t do something as simple as discounting a service, chances are it’ll be the customers last time dealing with them –ever.

5. Being rude.
Everyone has dealt with at least one simply rude CSR. They say “EXCUSE ME BUT—” and really mean “shut up I’m going to do what I want,” or so it seems. There is absolutely no excuse for rudeness. Customers and clients won’t stick around if this is the case.

Whataburger is often the target of my tweets, blog posts, [dry] jokes, and general fast food admiration. From an every-day consumer point of view Whataburger is simply good food made “just like you like it.” But there’s more to the Whataburger brand than their slogan.

Whataburger knows its roots, in fact you can walk into just about any Whataburger around and proudly see their photo’s of the first couple of restaurants and their flagship location in Corpus Christi, Texas. Being a native Texan myself; and growing up with Whataburger minutes away, I feel like the place is more ours –so to speak, than other burger joints. Whataburger locations have a way of truly making it feel like you are part of something special, something Southern, and specifically something Texan.

Locations aside their advertising is simply a great embodiment of that down-home feel the locations give you. From the male providing the TV advert voiceovers; which I’ve come to refer to as the “cool-Whataburger-voice-guy,” to the use of video clips from Whataburger locations with nothing around but Texas landscapes, really give off a feeling of that they are a natural and an almost expected component not only blends in, but truly belongs.

Their advertisements also aren’t the habitual fast food ads targeted towards kids, teens, and as of lately, minorities. Whataburger breaks past that with a simple message that sums up to their promise to give you what you want, the way you want it, fresh and always tasty –their target audience simply being folks who like a good meal served up in packaging so boring you know it’s the food that keeps us coming back again and again.

Whataburger just might be the quintessential fast food place with brand positioning like no other which seems to be the key to turning employees and customers alike into brand ambassadors, further building their brand image.

Being a full-time student really puts me in a horrible position in terms of the amount of time I can devote to blogging. While I can get on here and blog about the latest thing to tickle my fancy, I try to avoid topics that don’t allow me to go in-depth.

To kick things up a bit, during spring break I’m going to dive into the to-blog list and gather a set of topics that’ll hopefully shed some light for just about everybody who happens to stumble upon my blog. From a today’s look at the Whataburger brand, to a later post on brand loyalty, and workplace communications, there’s a lot on my mind.

So grab the feed, follow me on twitter, or bookmark the blog.

Cognitive Dissonance by definition is the feeling of remorse after someone purchases something usually big and/or pricey.

From a consumer point of view, it honestly can suck. Realizing that the damn ring you got your girl-friend or wife could have waited a bit longer sucks. Realizing that maybe you could have gone for the 42 inch TV, instead of the 50 and been just as happy can suck. Having someone build a website for you, only to find out it hasn’t done anything worth the money for your business or organization sucks as well. A lot of the impulsive buys can suck a whole lot.

So how can customers deal with it? Well, if it’s an item, I can be returned, resold, traded, etc. As business person you also have one truly awesome option.

The always awesome follow-up – Following up wither customers is really essential to keeping them happy, and keeping them happy is the key to keep them coming back.

Follow-up calls, emails, letters, and visits show determination to build a relationship with your customers, and doing it isn’t a big deal.

Setting aside a few minutes every day to call recent clients to ask how everything is going with the product or service(s) you provided or are providing really goes a long way.

One call can make a difference. Think past sales, think past tomorrow and next week, think long term and think about relationships instead of numbers. Intangible assets are often most important to businesses and organizations.

I still have a lot on my plate, but things are starting to clear up. So now I’ll simply say I hope the rest of 2009 is nothing like the past 20-some days.

I also hope Obama doesn’t do anything stupid.

I’m out.

At some point last August I realized I wasn’t quite comfy being the guy in the tee. I hate polo-styled shirts and only own one, which I’ve worn once. So I took a step into dress-shirts and ties.

Now at every social occasion I’m usually wearing one of my many nice shirts, and ties. As of lately, unless I know I HAVE to dress-up, I tend to loosen the collar and tie, while rolling up my sleeves, and pairing it up with nice jeans lately… you know, so I won’t look like a total dork. Even like that, I’m still usually over-dressed.

I even go to class randomly wearing my spiffy get-up –so to speak, for no apperant reason which gets people asking what I was doing before I got to class; “Job interview today?”

So the question is, should I ease up or not give a damn? I tend to get a lot of compliments on what I’m wearing, but I also feel weird standing next to those my age that are wearing torn jeans and a shirt straight out of Hot Topic.

Quick fact: My favorite tie just happens to be purple.

College has been the greatest thing this year; however, after doing spring, summer I, summer II, and fall semesters back to back, I’m just tired. I’ve gotten almost all A’s and B’s with two expectations. I’ve learned a lot and grown more confident with my skills and knowledge.

On the personal side of things, I’ve been happy, sad, lonely, and sick of people. I’ve come full circle and the fact that I’m blogging instead of kissing a hottie on New Year’s Eve, is most likely the result. But that’s nothing to complain about. So I won’t. I’ve grown further from people and closer to others, just bumps I guess.

I’ve also been good health-wise despite being told by my doctors that I’m under too much stress, my first reaction was “no duh.” I got sick once this year (a cold,) and I nearly passed-out (presyncope.) But I feel great!

So I guess in the end, I can’t complain that it was a tough year for me because even if it was the worst, I worked hard to accomplish a lot and make it a good one. I have no New Year’s resolution simple because all I want and need is already on my mind and I’m working my way towards it.

Have a great 2009!

Cognitive dissonance has often been mentioned in just about every damn book I’ve read since beginning college, so this is a subject I’ve spoke and written about a few times, but I thought I’d blog on it with a Holiday twist.

I personally know a few folks who can’t make a big purchase without feeling a bit of regret; however, I also know a lot of people who just love to run up their debt and don’t seem to give big buys a second thought.

I fall into the first group. When buying something big and or expensive that I don’t really “need,” I tend to quickly get over the post-purchase high, and whatever I thought was worth my cash at the time doesn’t always make complete sense later. A lot of junk loses its fun all too quickly.

The other group is the one I keep on seeing shopping all over the damn place. The type of folks who are simply impulsive, they are the same folks that must have the biggest, coolest, and newest… whatever-everyone-else-has.

Here’s my recent inspiration for the post: I was at Target this past week and a nice looking couple was shopping for gifts in the same section I was in. I could hear them go on and on talking, bringing up names and how much should be spent on each person to stay on budget. At some point the woman said, “Look at this, it costs more, but Rudy really wanted it.” The dude looked at her and said “The other kids are gonna’ wonder why he got the best gift.”� She replied, “But he’ll love it. What if they all get the same thing?” Some tension was noticeable in her voice, she almost sounded uncomfortable and cheerful at the same time. Kind of like Britney Spears turning down potato chips, (I imagine.)

At that point I moved to another section, (I can only checkout the tech-crap section for so long!) But I imagine they did get the kid whatever they thought would make him “happy.” I’m also pretty confident that in the end they wound up making themselves feel better by thinking that the happiness of others is more important than their own damn budget and possibly their debt.

I really don’t get people sometimes. I don’t get the ones who have a holiday spending spree, fully knowing they really are already too stretched financially. Everyone seems too in love with their credit cards to stop and think. No second thoughts, just a great Christmas. Although, I suppose the group who gets in over their head will eventually suffer from cognitive dissonance, but it won’t be until January or February when the bills come in.

How’s that for starting a new year?