MLB.com has Crappy Customer Service
By Drew Meyers | June 3, 2008
You might have seen this post where I alluded to the fact that I’ve had a crappy experience with MLB.com. Over a month later, I have STILL not been able to watch a single baseball game on MLB.com. I just tried to turn on the Mets-Giants game a couple minutes ago, but no luck — blackout message again. Here is the text of the page that pops up saying that the game is blacked out:
Based on the information that you have provided, you are blocked from watching the game you selected. Please consult our FAQs for complete blackout restriction information.Note: If you are traveling and are accessing the Internet connection through your company’s VPN connection, you might be getting a blackout message because your company’s host IP Address is within the restricted range for the game that you are trying to access. In this case you can simply log off your company’s VPN connection and access the Internet through a local connection.If you believe that you have received this failure message in error, please include the necessary information listed below in an e-mail to Customer Service at blackouts@website.mlb.com:1) IP Address (your IP Address will be automatically rendered when you log-on to www.whatismyip.com);
2) e-mail address associated with your account;
3) Team name you have been blocked from watching; and
4) The street address and ZIP code from which you are attempting to watch the game.
We will look into this query within 48 hours and if you have been mistakenly blacked out, your account will be updated.Reminder: you can always listen LIVE to the game that you selected (no blackout restrictions apply). For a full listing of games Click here
I sent an e-mail to the e-mail address listed on that page a couple months ago, but have yet to receive a reply. It may just be me, but when I pay $120 for a service, I at least expect a reply to a billing inquiry. I can understand if there is a valid reason behind this — MLB.com just needs to explain it to me.
If you’re curious, below is the text of the e-mail I sent:
To whom it may concern:
I don’t have cable television, so watching the my home team mariners on tv is not an option — hence the reason I wanted to sign up for MLB.tv. However, I have yet to be able to watch a game when I’ve tried. I keep getting the blackout message and occasionally a site outage message, so here are my details.
1) [my ip address]
2) [my e-mail address]
3) Mariners (and many other games). At 7 pm pacific time, I just tried the yankees game, the yankees-cleveland game, houston-arizona, and the oak-laa game — none of them worked for me.
4) [my address]Is there any way I can just get a refund, or switch to the audio-only subscription and get credited for the difference? I knew there were blackout rules, but I was under the assumption I would at least be able to watch away games of my hometeam (mariners) and games of other teams playing while the mariners were on tv. With the current restrictions, I’d maybe be able to watch a couple games this year.
Regards,
Drew Meyers
Topics: Sports, Web 2.0 | 1 Comment »
I have New Hope for This Country
By Drew Meyers | June 3, 2008
I was absolutely thrilled tonight when I opened up CNN to find out that Barack Obama is the Democratic Nominee for the Presidential Election.
Congratulation Barack!
Topics: Politics | No Comments »
Announcing myKRO.org — A New Blog Dedicated to Microfinance
By Drew Meyers | May 29, 2008
As some of you may know, I’ve developed a passion for microfinance. My journey into exploring microfinance started back in April of 2007 (wow, over a year ago) when I discovered Kiva and realized the potential for using web 2.0 technology to change people’s lives. Additionally, in August, one of my best friends from high school, Kayla Villnow, made the decision to live and work in the Dominican Republic helping grow microfinance. She now works for Esperanza, a lender of micro loans founded by Dave Valle (long-time Mariners catcher). In September, Kayla sent me an e-mail that I highlighted on this blog that I could not ignore; I concluded by saying this:
I think there is a huge need to catapult all the great things micro-lenders around the world (and non-profits like Kiva) are doing into the national spotlight. If you’re passionate about micro-finance and bringing people out of poverty, please either leave a comment or e-mail me — maybe we can collaborate and figure out a way to bring more attention to these stories and issues.
I’m kicking myself for taking so long with this project, but I’m happy to say that my friend from college, Jerry Ostradicky, and I can finally announce the side project relating to microfinance we’ve been working on for some time — myKRO.org, a multi-author blog dedicated to microfinance.
The goal of the blog is two-fold –
- Educate the general public about what microfinance is and how it impacts the lives of those it touches
- Share best practices from the microfinance community
If you are wondering what the name myKRO means — it originated from a combination of English and Bengali words. The phrase “Khudro Riner Ontore” means Inside Microfinance in Bengali, which abbreviates to KRO. To demonstrate the importance of the personal nature of microfinance, the “my” was added. Of course, the fact that myKRO happens to sound like micro didn’t hurt.
The next question you are probably wondering is “why?” Pretty simple actually. After learning about Kiva, I spoke to numerous friends, colleagues, and family members about microfinance. EVERYONE thought the concept was awesome once I explained it to them. The problem? Despite the fact that the concept is 25 years old, no one knew what microfinance was or how they could help.
I scoured the web for a central source of news, opinion, and analysis, but didn’t really find anything that fit what I was looking for — so, I decided that I would organize a multi-author blog for anyone passionate about microfinance to share their experiences, thoughts, and opinions regarding microlending. I told my friend Jerry about the idea and, luckily for me, he immediately expressed interest in helping organize and run the blog.
As I’ve said before, part of the reason I blog is to increase awareness for issues not given the proper attention in the mainstream media — and microfinance is certainly a concept that could use some additional awareness.
There so much more I could write, but to wrap this up, I’d like to extend a huge thank you to Jeff Turner, the President of Real Estate Shows, who was kind enough to design the logo for myKRO.org.
If you are interested in helping, you can do a couple of things:
- If you know anyone passionate about microfinance, let them know about myKRO.org
- If you are a techie and would like to help coding some new features into the blog, send me an e-mail (my e-mail is on the sidebar)
- Head over to myKRO and read the 1st post
- Blog about it!!
Topics: Microfinance | 5 Comments »
fbOpen
By Drew Meyers | May 27, 2008
I don’t know the specifics of the fbOpen project, but the concept is very cool with lots of potential.
Topics: Web 2.0 | No Comments »
How to Use Social Media for Social Change
By Drew Meyers | May 27, 2008
There’s a great article at ReadWriteWeb worth reading — How to Use Social Media for Social Change.
Topics: New Media | No Comments »
The World is Full of Problems
By Drew Meyers | May 27, 2008
I think it’s horribly sad that humans can do something like this.
Topics: Life | 1 Comment »
The New York Times To Launch an API
By Drew Meyers | May 26, 2008
It’ll be interesting to see how much content the New York Times makes available in their new API currently in the works.
Topics: New Media | No Comments »
U.N. Millennium Development Goals and Microcredit: How Small Loans Support Sustainable Development
By Drew Meyers | May 24, 2008
I’m going to attend a public forum on microcredit Thursday at UW — if you live in the Seattle area and are interested in learning more about microfinance, the details are below.
Date: Thursday, May 29, 2008
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: University of Washington, Kane Hall 220 and the Walker Ames Room 225
Panelists include:
- Rick Beckett, CEO of Global Partnerships
- Peter Bladin, VP of Grameen Foundation and Director of Grameen Technology Center
- Terry Provance, Executive Director of Oikocredit USA
- Sangita Sigdyal, Deputy Director of the Microcredit Summit Campaign
- Carol Welch, former U.S. Coordinator of the U.N. Millennium Campaign
Moderator: Penny LeGate, KIRO TV news anchor and reporter
This forum is second in a series of planned events addressing the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It will feature exhibits from a range of local microcredit organizations and a panel of experts representing leading Microfinance practitioners and organizations devoted to alleviating poverty in regions around the world.
The panel discussion is sponsored by the Puget Sound Millennium Goals Project and the Center for Global Studies of the Jackson School at the University of Washington.
The event is free and open to the public. We hope to see you there!
Topics: Microfinance | No Comments »
Seattle Happy Hour for Young Professionals — Friends of St. Jude Happy Hour May 20th
By Drew Meyers | May 13, 2008
Before reading further, first ask yourself several questions:
- Do you live in Seattle?
- Do you enjoy Happy Hour?
- Do you like supporting good causes?
If the answer to all three questions is “YES” — then read on.
One of my good friends works for St. Jude Children’s Hospital and I’m happy to say she’s organized the first Friends of St. Jude Happy Hour in Seattle. The event is going to be May 20th (next week) at Del Rey in Belltown! We will be meeting in the back room, and tacos will be provided until they run out. We would love to have you join us for some free food, a chance to network with some other young professionals, and support St. Jude!
Host: Friends of St. Jude
Location: Del Ray
2332 1st Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121 US
View Map
When: Tuesday, May 20, 4:30PM to 7:00PM
The cost will be $5 for members of Friends of St. Jude, or $10 for non-members. If you are interested in joining, you will have the opportunity to sign up and hear more about the program at the event!
Cash/ Credit/ Check will be accepted
Here is the Evite for more details.
Topics: Microfinance | No Comments »
Data Availability, Facebook Connect, and Friend Connect
By Drew Meyers | May 10, 2008
- MySpace Embraces DataPortability, Partners With Yahoo, Ebay And Twitter
- Announcing Facebook Connect
- Three’s Company Or Three’s A Crowd? Google To Launch “Friend Connect” On Monday
I won’t pretend to know too much about these programs, but I will say this — the business development divisions of Google, Myspace, and Facebook are going to be working overtime recruiting partners for the next few months. I don’t anticipate all three of these initiatives will gain traction (unless all the major web portals choose to implement all three APIs), so the race is on to close deals with highly trafficked websites on the web — Myspace has a clear lead early on as a result of their announced data sharing deals with Yahoo, Ebay, and Twitter.
Topics: New Media, Technology, Web 2.0 | No Comments »
10 Tips for Building Online Communities
By Drew Meyers | May 8, 2008
I stumbled upon this tonight — Nudge, Don’t Push- 10 Tips for Building Online Communities (from SmallBoxConsulting).
Topics: New Media, Web 2.0 | No Comments »
How Do You Develop Self-Control?
By Drew Meyers | May 8, 2008
My friend forwarded the “How do you Develop Self-Control?” passage below (written by Rick Warren) and I thought it was worth sharing. While I’m personally not that religious, I’m a believer that self-control is a huge piece of being successful.
Successful people have one obvious trait in common: personal discipline. They are willing to do things that average people are unwilling to do.
It’s my observation that successful people express their self-discipline in six ways:
Successful people master their moods – They live by their commitments, not their emotions. They do the right thing, even when they don’t feel like it. “A person without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken-down walls” (Proverbs 25:28 NLT).
Successful people watch their words – They put their minds in gear before opening their mouths: “Those who control their tongue will have a long life ….” (Proverbs 13:3 NLT).
Successful people restrain their reactions – How much can you take before you lose your cool? “People with good sense restrain their anger; they earn esteem by overlooking wrongs” (Proverbs 19:11 NLT).
Successful people stick to their schedule – If you don’t determine how you will spend your time, you can be sure that others will decide for you! “So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days” (Ephesians 5:15-16, NLT).
Successful people manage their money – They learn to live on less than what they make, and they invest the difference. The value of a budget is that it tells your money where you want it to go rather than wondering where it went: “The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get” (Proverbs 21:20 NLT).
Successful people maintain their health – That way they can accomplish more and enjoy their achievements: “… control your body and live in holiness and honor” (1 Thessalonians 4:4 NLT).
Now, where do you need to develop self-control?
The disciplines you establish today will determine your success tomorrow. But it takes more than just will power for lasting self-control. It takes a power greater than yourself. Think about this promise from the Bible: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT).
The more I accept God’s control over my life, the more self-control he gives me!
Topics: Life | 1 Comment »
Paul Farmer on 60 Minutes
By Drew Meyers | May 4, 2008
I was thrilled to see the Paul Farmer segment on 60 Minutes a few minutes ago that highlighted Partners in Hope and the work they do in Haiti (and in other countries). I read his book a few months ago, and have all the respect in the world for Paul and what he has accomplished.
Topics: Life | 1 Comment »
What will Yahoo’s Opening Price be Tomorrow?
By Drew Meyers | May 4, 2008
Many have already weighed in — my vote is $24 per share.
You can take Fred’s poll here.
Topics: Business | No Comments »
The Reality of Facebook
By Drew Meyers | April 30, 2008
I couldn’t resist sharing this video that my friend sent me earlier today.
Topics: Web 2.0 | 1 Comment »
Entrepreneurship in South Africa — Or Not
By Drew Meyers | April 27, 2008
Ryan Baebler at NextBillion wrote a great article worth reading — The Difference Between Entrepreneurship and a Lack Thereof in Rural South Africa.
Topics: Business | No Comments »
New Funding in the Works for Twitter
By Drew Meyers | April 27, 2008
I admit it 100% — I still don’t understand Twitter. However, with another round of funding in the works, it’s apparent many people do.
Topics: Web 2.0 | No Comments »
The Price of Sugar
By Drew Meyers | April 22, 2008
I just watched a screening of “The Price of Sugar” with a couple of friends. It was eye opening to say the least — especially since the documentary details the sugar industry in the Dominican Republic, a country I visited back in November and where my best friend from high school is currently working.
The treatment Haitian workers have experienced (and still are in many places) in the Dominican Republic is nothing short of criminal. Here’s one article from 2005 in the New York Times. Luring starving Haitians into the DR with the hope of a better life only to lock them in batteys under armed guard is horrific. Yet it continues to happen. If that’s not bad enough — on their way to the batteys where they are forced to cut sugarcane for 90 cents a day, Haitians are stripped of their papers when being smuggled by the Vicini family (who owns the sugar plantations) across the border, so they risk arrest if attempting to travel. Fortunately, Father Christopher Hartley has done outstanding work uniting some of the plantation workers amidst fierce opposition. Without him, the severity of the situation would certainly be a lot worse. If you want to learn more, you can head over to the Price of Sugar website.
If you do nothing else, realize that the sugar in your coffee in the morning is not without a cost — Haitians are slaving away in an almost hopeless environment to power the sugar industry in the Dominican Republic. Much of the sugarcane harvested is then imported into the United States for processing.
It think it goes without saying — but if you get the chance, I’d highly recommend seeing the documentary.
Topics: Life | 1 Comment »
Becoming Legendary — How Michael Jordan Did It
By Drew Meyers | April 22, 2008
Michael Jordan is the greatest player in NBA history in my opinion, which is exactly why this commercial is so powerful. The commercial walks you through some of the mis perceptions about reaching greatness from Jordan’s perspective and relays the message that hard work and dedication are the core drivers. Reaching Jordan’s level on the court doesn’t just HAPPEN from raw athletic talent like some people think — he accomplished what he did by working harder (both mentally and physically) than others. I saw this commercial numerous times this weekend while watching the NBA Play-offs, so reaching young kids with the message of “If you work hard, you can achieve anything” is definitely a goal of the ad campaign.
Topics: Life | 5 Comments »
Optimism and Al Gore
By Drew Meyers | April 19, 2008
Topics: Philanthropy, Politics | No Comments »