Thank You For Calling!

Aaron Meyers from Comics Therapy discusses productive, positive lessons to learn from the Comics For Kids controversy about how (and how not to) run a non-profit. Part 2 of 2

• Backblaze: unlimited, secure, online back up your computer for just $5/month. Visit this link to support the show and learn more.

• Aaron Meyers is half of the podcast Comics Therapy. He likes ROM Spaceknight.

• Thank You For Calling! 7: Best of Intentions (Part 1)

• Since the recording of the first installment of this series, Comics For Kids founder Michael Whitehead has continued to aggressively confront critics, use questionable language and tactics, and pivoted to running a "comics & boobs" hashtag campaign on his personal Twitter feed, which has intermittently disappeared completely.
• Michael Whitehead has since apologized to Aaron and his co-host Andrea using a Twitter feed he has since deleted. Three one-star reviews of Comics Therapy, made by Whitehead's followers, remain on iTunes as of this posting. They are the only non-five-star reviews of Comics Therapy in iTunes.
• Articles at Bleeding Cool and The Outhousers (odd name) about the controversy, for reference.
• Giant Size co-host John Gholson called in on Comics Therapy episode 43.

Following an online firestorm (see Bleeding Cool and The Outhousers) surrounding Mississippi-based Non-Profit Organization Comics 4 Kids, Moisés speaks with founder Michael Whitehead about its origins, his choices, and digging oneself into a deeper hole. Part 1 of 2

In the next episode, we hear from the podcasters behind Comics Therapy, both of whom directly engaged Michael over appearances of impropriety, bullying language, and the reasons, in his words, that eventually "Mark Waid called [him] an asshole".

• Hover: get 10% your purchase when signing up at Hover.com using offer code TRANSFERYOU
• Transporter: personal cloud storage that lives in your house. Use offer code ESN10 to get 10% off any Transporter model at FileTransporter.com

• Michael Whitehead has worked in sales most of his professional career, including a long stint with Palm Harbor Homes. He has also worked in the relatively new field of credit repair. He is now actively seeking the means of transitioning the work he has done as Comics 4 Kids from NPO to For-Profit status. The Comics 4 Kids Twitter feed has been made private since this recording. To his credit, he agreed to this interview without asking the name of the show, my name, or much of anything.
• Andrea Shockling is half of the podcast Comics Therapy, to which Michael directed his followers to leave negative iTunes reviews in retaliation for what he perceived as an attack and direct accusation of fraud. Michael has since publicly apologized to Andrea and her co-host Aaron, but we will hear more about that and other developments in "Part 2".

• Articles at Bleeding Cool and The Outhousers (odd name) about the controversy, for reference.
• Amanda Palmer's TED Talk.
• The massively successful Reading Rainbow Kickstarter.
• Giant Size co-host John Gholson called in on Comics Therapy episode 43.

Moisés found out a month ago that he needed to buy a house because his lease wasn't being renewed. His Realtor, Eric Johnston, talks about his career in real state over the last 12 years in markets that went from boom to bust and back again. What makes the biggest difference in real estate and sales in general: luck, soft skills, or a little of both?

• Transporter: personal cloud storage that lives in your house. Use offer code ESN10 to get 10% off any Transporter model at FileTransporter.com
• Smile: Visit smilesoftware.com/shadow for details and a brief video introduction to the PDFpen Family.

• Eric Johnston is a great Realtor, has loads of useful certifications, and donates food to the Food Pantry or Pet Shelter of your choice and in your name upon closing.
• He gave out his number on the air, so call him at 512.516.0575 if you need anything real estate in Austin, TX.

Our MacWorld Expo Special delves into the origins of an online backup service's customer service & support infrastructure, from passing around a GMail account to helping people feel less powerless and/or vulnerable.

Excuse the echo. Press rooms are great but often awful for acoustics.

SPONSORS

• Squarespace: everything you need to get started making a website. Visit the link and use the offer code mentioned in the show (part of the show's name) for 10% off
• Igloo: an intranet you'll actually like and use. Visit the link to learn more and support the show. It's free for up to 10 users!

PANELISTS

• Gleb Budman, CEO/co-founder
• Ken Manjang
• Nathan Wieneke
• Yev Pusin, Social Media Magician

SHOWNOTES

• Backblaze does online backup. If you don't really back up your data, get with the program and do it somehow, somewhere.
• Gleb wrote a great piece for TheNextWeb about how many co-founders you need (and how Backblaze got five).
• Ain't Nathan handsome?
• The Backblaze blog is one of those "brand" blogs that actually posts worthwhile stuff, like clips of Chief O'Brien from Star Trek: DS9 talking about the importance of backup.
• Yev once made a formal request to the NSA to provide him with a copy of all his data they had a copy of. SPOILER ALERT: They said no!

A candid, behind-the-scenes look at ComiXology's customer support story, from the early days to being the top-grossing non-game app on iOS.

From taking empathy notes from Road House ("be nice") to handling server-crushing traffic to taking proactive steps along the way, you don't have to care about comics to enjoy and appreciate the ComiXology story.

SPONSORS

• Squarespace: everything you need to get started making a website. Use the offer code mentioned in the show (part of the show's name) for 10% off
• Transporter: personal cloud storage that lives in your house. Use offer code ESN75 (through end of March 2014) to get Transporter Sync for $75 at FileTransporter.com

PANELISTS

• David Steinberger, CEO/co-founder
• John D. Roberts, co-founder
• Chip Mosher, VP Communications & Marketing
• Matt Kolowski, Customer Service Manager

SHOWNOTES

• If you haven't seen Road House, go watch it (Netflix/iTunes/Amazon), and learn the "three simple rules: One, never underestimate your opponent. Expect the unexpected. Two, take it outside. Never start anything inside the bar unless it's absolutely necessary. And three, be nice."
• ComiXology has a website, an iOS app, and an Android app.
• All four guests are on twitter: David Steinberger does a lot of the talking like a literal boss, John D. Roberts was made sad by insults about his widget, Chip Mosher is the man with all the stats, and poor ol' Matt Kolowski is still having nightmares.
• Marvel 700 worked well after some constructive, soul-crushing learning.
• ComiXology issued a voluntary password reset for all customers recently due to a "non-critical" breach.
• ComiXology has to balance customer relations with partner relationships, allowing the right partner to respond to the issues they own, regardless of how frustrating something might be. In this respect, they've managed to walk a fine line like Balanchine dancers.
• Seriously, pain don't hurt.

Airlines: we've heard the horror stories. Now we dig deeper into how to get the results we want at the gate, on the phone, and in the air. (Part 2 of 2)

Are we stuck in a breadline in Kiev back in '78, waiting for shitty vouchers for shitty airlines, or could we eventually see Our Own Fuckin' Airline? #Superplane

Panelists: John Roderick, Jim Dalrymple, Lex Friedman, Brent Billings
Special Guest Star: Majel Barrett Roddenberry

SPONSORS

• Transporter: personal cloud storage that lives in your house. Use offer code ESN75 (through end of March 2014) to get Transporter Sync for $75 at FileTransporter.com
• Smile: Visit smilesoftware.com/calling for details and a brief video introduction to TextExpander.
• Delta's In-Flight Trivia Game
• Igloo: try an intranet that you'll actually like using. It's free for up to ten users, and affordable beyond that. Click here to support the show, and sign up for their free SXSW event on 3/12 from 3:30-6:30pm

SHOWNOTES

• Brent Billings survived the airline industry and now does photography and design.
• John Roderick makes music with The Long Winters, and shares custody of Roderick on the Line (a show about The Beatles and Hitler) with Merlin Mann. Watch your ass, 6F. He's coming for you.
• Jim Dalrymple runs The Loop, The Loop Magazine, and hosts Amplified.
• Lex Friedman is EVP of Sales and Development for The Mid Roll, and co-hosts Not Playing with MacWorld's Dan Moren. Give us this day (Y)our Daily Lex.

Subscribe to Thank You For Calling (iTunes/RSS)
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Airlines: we hate them, and it feels like they hate us. Is our only choice to "ride in the fucking toilet"? A former airline employee joins us to help peel back the curtain at Gate 21. (Part 1 of 2)

Panelists: John Roderick, Jim Dalrymple, Lex Friedman, Brent Billings

Subscribe to Thank You For Calling (iTunes/RSS)
Subscribe to the ESN Master Feed (iTunes/RSS)

• Brent Billings survived the airline industry and now does photography and design.
• John Roderick makes music with The Long Winters, and shares custody of Roderick on the Line with Merlin Mann. Watch yourself, he might be elected Senator someday. #Supertrain
• Jim Dalrymple runs The Loop, The Loop Magazine, and hosts Amplified.
• Lex Friedman is EVP of Sales and Development for The Mid Roll, and co-hosts Not Playing with MacWorld's Dan Moren. Give us this day (Y)our Daily Lex.

SPONSORS

• Smile: Visit smilesoftware.com/calling for details and a brief video introduction to TextExpander.
• Squarespace: everything you need to get started making a website. Use the offer code mentioned in the show (part of the show's title) for 10% off
• (Not) United Airlines
• Hover: get 10% your purchase when signing up at Hover.com using offer code MAKEITSO

Brent Simmons talks about his unexpected $1850 bill from Network Solutions, the process of divorcing his domains from a longtime home, and supporting customers as an indie developer.

• Squarespace: everything you need to get started making a website. Use this link and code THANKYOU for 10% off
• Smile: to support the show, learn more at this link and get TextExpander and TextExpander Touch in the App Store.
• Hover: get 10% off your first purchase using offer code BLADERUNNER

• Brent Simmons (Twitter) writes a super-inessential blog and is 1/3 of the team at Q-Branch, who make a neat app called Vesper.

• Fun fact: this is the first-ever show recorded for ESN. Cherish it. Forgive it its flaws (which are all on the host).
• Brent Simmons and his wife Sheila created NetNewsWire, which still exists and is now owned by the good people at Black Pixel. 
• Brent's series of blog posts cover his entire ordeal, from inception and first update through the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 10th days' updates.
• Wil Shipley wrote a great article about app ratings and customer interaction for Jim Dalrymple's The Loop Magazine. Jim posted it as a free-to-read.

A short preview of things to come in this brand-new show about customer service.