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Showing posts from February, 2019

Tackling Tech Support Bullies

We're all familiar with internet Trolls, right? Of course. Otherwise Reddit wouldn't exist. Well, there's this new type of Troll and it's called a Tech Support Bully, or TSB. Similar to a Troll, but not so much under the bridge type or on Reddit type. It's more like IN YOUR FACE type. Sometimes I wonder how it's possible to forget that the person you just called for help is actually a person too. A human. You contacted a HUMAN for help?!? OMG. Yes, I want to help you, even if you're a TSB. The quicker you come out from under the bridge, the quicker we can get the problem solved. Tech Support Bullies spend more time being mean to me on the call than they do trying to solve the problem. How in the world does that help? (Clarification: When I say US and WE, I mean me and my team. Or I could mean Linux support pros in general... Apply it where you want, but I'm just telling you how it is.) How it Affects Us - Emotionally and Physically TSBs are exhau

Upcoming Events

SCaLE 17X - Pasadena, California I'll be in the System76 booth showing off our Thelio Desktop and Darter Pro laptop... and we'll have some video games running on the Oryx Pro. Stop by and check us out! March 7-10 in the main Expo Hall. We'll have giveaways all expo long! LinuxFestNorthwest - Bellingham, Washington April 26-28 I'll be in the System76 booth showing off our laptops and Thelio. The whole tech support team is coming! I have a talk accepted called 'sudo apt install Happiness' which isn't on any schedule yet, but once it is, I'll post it! I've been doing customer support with Linux users for more than 7 years now. As a woman, I've had my share of the good, the bad and the ugly. I'd like to provide tips on how to turn our support interactions with each other into happier experiences. In this talk, you'll learn some best practices when interacting with a support human so that you can reach a solution faster.  In the Linux c