Maybe if this post were a video, more people would get the message. Also, no, there will be no pictures on this post.

This is a trend across all media that has me scared. More and more websites are shifting their focus from writing to video broadcast. I believe the reasoning is that more people will ‘click’ on a video review than a written review. It’s easier to digest the material and there is something to look at while getting the message. This, apparently, is a big enough thing to phase out writing, and I really don’t like that.

Writing is just as much of an art form as video and I would argue it is has a deeper impact. But that is another post for another day.

This may seem a little ironic, but I’m a video guy. It’s what I’m majoring in. I love video. I work with it almost every day and I know the impact it has on our daily lives. We turn on our TVs in the morning and check the morning news, chat with relatives far away via Skype, videotape your child’s first steps. It has its place in our lives and continues to grow into a more vital part of our regime. However, is it enough to phase out jobs where people write for a living?

This gets me to the main reason for why I am writing (and for the first time in some time.)

One of my favorite websites, Gamespot, just recently laid off a few of its employees. The reason? Well no reason was given, but there has been a trend in the video game market (and the interwebs in general) that points to a rise in video content thanks to sites as YouTube and Twitch (Twitch is an online streaming service where people and broadcast their games to a worldwide audience.) Google (which owns YouTube) has been at the forefront of this trend and recently purchased Twitch for a measly one billion bucks. So this trend is undeniable. Although sites like Gamespot have embraced video content, they still had a decent amount of written reviews, news, etc. Apparently it was too much to continue to hold up the amount of employees at Gamespot. So they laid off a few of their employees because of it. Is it the company’s (in this case, CBS Interactive) fault? I don’t think so, I believe it’s the consumer.

Scripps also recently ditched it’s entire newspaper division to focus on broadcasting. So it’s not just the internet, it’s across all forms of media.

So, how does writing stay relevant? Well, the short answer is: it can’t. Well, it can, but it relies on the consumer. Unfortunately, the consumer wants these YouTube videos and streams of the game being played over reading an article about the product. You could make the argument that the two can co-exist which I completely agree with. However, how often do YOU read the description of the videos on YouTube?

I obviously love the written word. I believe much can be interpreted from a well-written article. Character can show just as much in a written article as a video. However, I believe that the written word is something that is dying a slow death as we go more towards podcasting, audiobooks, video content, etc. The fact of the matter is that our lives are so fast anymore that no one bothers sitting down and reading a newspaper or read a book. They’ll play an audiobook in the car, or turn on a news podcast. Writing is going the way of the dinosaurs. It’s an art form that is struggling to stay relevant. Although there are some places where it will continue to thrive (let’s not forget, video content often follows something that the creator wrote.)

I will continue to write on a daily basis because it is something that I truly care about. If not for writing, this blog would not exist, nor would my passion for news. Hell, I don’t think my passion for video would be as strong if it weren’t for writing.

Now, that I conclude this post, the question is: how many actually read all the way down to this point? This illustrates the problem because I don’t believe I should have to ask that question. Fact is, people look at the length of an article and go “Eff this!”

Luckily, I don’t have to cater to a certain demographic because I don’t get paid for this, so I can do things the way I want, and the way that I believe that it should be.

 

Signing off.

My apologies for making you watch that video… but damn is that catchy… and terrible.

You may have noticed that they layout of CFDD has changed a little bit. This is the new, but temporary layout of my blog until my new layout is finalized (Something that I’ve worked on myself.) I’m excited to get that up and give my blog a new flavor and add more content.

As soon as that goes live (No date set yet) I plan on posting more on pretty much everything I want. I’ve also been experimenting with some podcast stuff which I’m real excited about.

I know all of this is ambitious, but it’s almost summer vacation for this college student (just one more year left of college life!) but I hope it all comes together perfectly.

Anyway, how about my take on a few headlines:

A controversial film covering the life of notorious abortionist Kermit Gosnell is trying to crowdfund. They quickly raised $1.4 million (which broke some kind of record apparently.) They plan on looking on this man’s methods and cover the lack of media coverage in this case. They claim they were more focused on issues such as Jodi Arias and not a mass murderer (Of course, your opinion may vary.) But I’m curious, here’s a link to the Indiegogo campaign of the Gosnell movie and let me know what you think of it.

I’m missing a clever line to describe Malaysian Flight 370.

Donald Sterling decided to hate on people who look like his girlfriend and is still a billionaire.

I thought I would come up with more headlines, but like Malaysia Flight 370, they’re gone.

Look for some more stuff in the future here on Cheap Five Dollar Dress. New layout, new features, new everything. I’m excited with how everything is coming together.

As always follow me on Twitter for frequent updates @ryanfinfrock.

 

Signing off.

 

 

It’s summer time… and isn’t it great.

Guy, I have an announcement to make: I’m straight.

In the wake of all of the hoopla surrounding Michael Sam probably becoming the first openly gay NFL player, it made me reflect on how the media and equal rights activists are approaching this situation.

ESPN is having a field day covering every possible angle to this story. They’ve interviewed Sam, coaches, NFL players, people who don’t agree with homosexuality, and their mothers. Through all of this, I can’t help but think: is this what the equal rights movement wants? Aren’t we passed the point where we make a big deal when some celebrity or athlete comes out? Making these individuals special by giving them increased coverage doesn’t make this movement equal. If the average joe came out as homosexual, shouldn’t he or she get the same coverage? If it were, when someone announced that he or she is straight, they should receive the same amount of coverage. Am I the only one that sees the sense behind this?

Now, I’m not bashing on Michael Smith, or homosexuality. You can have your opinion, and I’ll have mine. But when talking equal rights, shouldn’t it be…well, equal? Putting a man on a pedestal for being the first to come out (when, undoubtedly, there are more out there, including current players) doesn’t do much to promote the movement, especially when the majority of people speaking out are in favor of Sam’s gender preference. It basically just states, “Hey, I’m here, look at me!”

I’m curious to see what people think about this issue. Send a tweet my way @ryanfinfrock and let’s debate it. Let’s enlighten each other.

This was just a short post to ignite debate. Let’s me know what you think and this may spark a bigger post in the future.

Signing off.

Oh how the hate is flowing in America today!

Remember a while ago when Chic-Fil-A was under fire for donating money to organizations to which many took offense to? Remember how Chic-Fil-A was considered homophobic and every other name in the book? Remember ‘Support Chic-Fil-A Day” where lines at Chic-Fil-A’s across the country were extremely long with people showing their support for Chic-Fil-A? Yeah, that same thing is happening again, but this time, we’re not eating chicken; we’re indulging in some duck!

People tend to miss the point when it comes to issues such as this. If you haven’t heard about Phil Robertson’s suspension from the mega-hit “Duck Dynasty” because he believes that marriage is between a man and a woman, and his tongue-in-cheek joke of how he prefers vagina over a male anus,  then get out from under your rock.  That’s about the gist of what you need to know to follow along with my writing.

This is  not about gay rights, just as the case was with Chic-Fil-A. People are completely focused on the fact that Phil doesn’t agree with the homosexual lifestyle because he is a man of faith. You can agree with him or disagree with him, that’s okay. However, let’s respect one’s opinion and their right to speak it. With Chic-Fil-A, everyone seemed to be focused on the fact that droves and droves of people showed up to support Chic-Fil-A for their stance, which some took to mean that those customers have the same stance as Chic-Fil-A.

No.

These people who are up in arms about Chic-Fil-A, and now Phil Robertson, are the ones who cannot seem to get it through their heads that people may have a different opinion than the one of their own. So what’s the only conclusion? Well, GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) says that advertisers should stop airing ads during Duck Dynasty and that Phil Robertson should be punished. It worked. A&E suspended Phil from episodes of Duck Dynasty for the foreseeable future.  Here is the statement from GLAAD:

“Phil and his family claim to be Christian, but Phil’s lies about an entire community fly in the face of what true Christians believe. He clearly knows nothing about gay people or the majority of Louisianans — and Americans — who support legal recognition for loving and committed gay and lesbian couples.

“Phil’s decision to push vile and extreme stereotypes is a stain on A&E and his sponsors who now need to reexamine their ties to someone with such public disdain for LGBT people and families.

So, someone who doesn’t have a popular opinion should be punished. This is the big factor for me. How come there was never a discussion after these comments? Why should Phil be punished so quickly without a discussion where there may be hopes of an understanding. Have Phil sit down with GLAAD and discuss their differences. Isn’t that what adults should do? Or should GLAAD bully A&E into punishing Phil and therefore, punishing A&E.

Duck Dynasty is, without question, the top rated program on A&E. For many, Phil is the heart and soul of that show. I, personally, have only seem a few episodes of the show, but enough to get what the message of the show is trying to convey. It’s a family built around Christian values, who base their livelihood around their faith. It’s a family which millions of viewers have fallen in love with. Suspending Phil is like having a member of your close family pass away. There will be a hole that you can never fill back up. What happens to the show now? Quite frankly, I’m not sure if anyone knows.

Once again, this is not about gay rights. If you believe this situation, along with Chic-Fil-A, centers around gay rights, you are completely missing the point. Whether you believe in gay marriage or you believe in traditional marriage, you need to understand how the other side feels. Suspending Phil because of his remarks solves nothing. It merely makes the divide between views that much bigger. Simply having a discussion between those of opposite views can have a profound impact on understanding the other side.

But maybe I just live in an ideal world.

 

Signing off.

I got the idea for this blog post from a very talented writer that I work with. She talked about “a day in the life” for her at our place of employment. Check out her post and leave her some feedback. I give her some credit for the making of this post. Click here to check out her post. Also, be sure to follow her on Twitter @_tarad_ 

I am a very lucky individual. 

Not many people can look at their lives and truly enjoy what they do for work. I consider myself a part of the lucky, fortunate, and appreciative few.

I have always loved the news. It is the most basic form of storytelling that reaches a very large audience. You are always looking and researching for the next big event to happen so you can be the first (and most accurate) to report it. Storytelling is an extremely important part of our lives, and the news is one of the main mediums to give us those stories.

I work at a Cincinnati news station where I work as a production assistant. What’s a production assistant? Basically, it is the ‘behind the scenes’ job in the studio. I operate studio cameras, work the teleprompter, run scripts, and floor direct. It a very basic position that doesn’t pay much and is only part time (but with full-time hours.) With the low pay, you’d wonder why I would even take the job in the first place. However, it’s the people, the atmosphere, and the experience that is richer than any payment I could receive.

The people I work with are at the top of their game at all times. The anchors are people who have worked in the news industry for many years and could easily be blinded by their own celebrity. I was amazed at how down-to-Earth the anchors are and how they are very easy to talk to. This is something that you can’t help but have a great respect for. Too often, we hear about anchors being prima donnas and only care about how they look on TV and shoving everyone else beneath them. This news station is not like that in any way. Also, as a current college student, they are my professors outside of the classroom. I get a hands-on look at the news business and see how it operates from the inside-out. That’s is something you can’t possibly learn in any classroom or textbook. The anchors, along with the other PAs, the producers, and everyone else are what make me continue to love what I do and realize that working in this industry is exactly what I want to do with my life (what specifically I want to do… that’s another story.)

As for the newsroom atmosphere, I want to quote a co-worker:

Amidst all of the wonderfulness, the station is very much like a casino. You get caught up in the hustle and bustle and distracted by all of the lights, but often lose track of time and your original intentions. Working six days straight is more full time than it is part time, but I find myself falling into the motions.

The newsroom can be a crazy place sometimes, but it can also be a dull place. I love it a lot more when it is crazy. When breaking news happens, crap can hit the fan extremely fast. People run around yelling expletives and on the phone for what seems like hours, trying to get the most up-to-date-information. When you work with people who are focused on getting the whole story, you develop a sense of pride of working for, and with, those who are some of the best in the field. Since we live in an age where ‘the media’ is often vilified for being… well… the media, I find extreme honor to work with those who stand for everything that news used to stand for in the age of people like Cronkite and Murrow. With every breaking news story, I learn a little more about the news gathering process and develop my journalistic ethics every step of the way (and also look at the whole industry in a completely different light.)

The experience is something that will carry me throughout the remainder of my college years and the real world. If I don’t find a job at my current station, I am set up for the possibility to work in any news station. The work, the people, and the atmosphere help me with  my journey  of life, which is still in its infancy.

Life is all about storytelling. We live as storytellers. Some are better than others. I am extremely lucky to work with some of the best storytellers in the news industry. I only wish I can one day be on the level as those who I look up to now. But with some hard work, maybe I can be the ultimate storyteller, like those who have been doing it for a number of years.

As with every story, this post has reached its inevitable end.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter for everything CFDD and my view on current events: @ryanfinfrock

Signing off.

I’m exhausted. That’s a pretty good way to explain it.

The fall semester has (finally) come to an end, and I could not be happier to have a month off from school to focus on being a lazy son-of-a-gun.

It is finally time for me to sit at home for hours on end and do nothing but watch every season of Family Guy on Netflix, each McDonalds, and mastu…. I’ll stop there.

Of course, I joke. I would never watch one season of Family Guy, let alone all of them.

In all honesty, I have a lot planned for this break, especially for CFDD. I finally have time to write creatively where I don’t have to abide to strict academic guidelines to get papers done. Isn’t that the worst? I am waiting for the one day where I have a professor who says, “Alright class, I want you to write about the history of abortion cases in America. Just have at it. I’m not going to give guidelines, just do what you want and be graded on it.”

Of course, everyone would say either “I like whoring myself out there.” or “BABY KILLERS BURN IN HELL!!!” But you get my point: these guidelines that professors put in their assignments can be a little ridiculous? “You want 15 pages? Ok, I’ll give you 5 pages of substance and the rest will just be a bunch of filler and BS.” Can I just write what I think is sufficient and know that I have a solid essay? Of course not, that would be too easy.

Also, what is up with these MLA, APA, ASS formats? In the real world, how often do we actually use these formats? I work with a bunch of journalists and people who write for a living, not once have I seen someone use “proper MLA  format” for anything. So what’s the point? I’m dying to know.

How about a little creativity and uniqueness for us to explore while writing academic papers? Are we completely devoid of individual identity to the point where everyone has to abide by the same guidelines. That’s not what life is about. I think it’s important to dig deep inside ourselves to find where our creativity truly lies. Writing papers in college seems to be the perfect place to express that. However, when I get an assignment that says “15 pages, MLA, 20 sources, must be in the 3rd person, and be written while taking a shower” doesn’t it seem a little too, I don’t know… generic? Do I need to make the obvious Robert Frost poem reference here?

Creativity is where one shows his or her identity, as I hit on before. That’s where true learning and growth occurs. It also makes papers more enjoyable to write. Isn’t enjoying life and loving what you do the true essence of life? I know, you can only be so creative when talking about abortion and Civil Liberties without offending you reader (I almost regret making the reference earlier) but you can put your own little ‘spice’ into your paper. You then can appreciate your work more, because it is truly yours. You didn’t need to abide by strict guidelines that deter you from going off the designated path. Because that makes all the difference.

Anyway, that’s my little soapbox for now. As I studied and wrote papers for Finals Week, (yes, it’s such a big event that it needs capitalization) that’s what was on my mind a lot. I guess it’s because I picked a more creative major along with a very academic minor (electronic media and broadcasting major with a Political Science minor.) Maybe I’m in the minority with this based off of my choice of education or maybe I’m not, that’s not the point. College is about building your identity, writing papers seems to be the perfect place to build that identity. Who knew that political science could be so technical? I thought politics was pretty cut and dry.

Wrapping up, I’ll continue to write about whatever comes to mind for the next month that I have on break. Got a couple miscellaneous projects to work on, work two jobs, and celebrate Christmas with the family. Life is short, people, go out and live it! Don’t be that guy to sit on the couch, watch every season of Family Guy on Netflix, eat McDonalds and mastu… you get my point.

Take some time this holiday to reflect on the year you’ve had, where you’ve been, where you’re going, and what you’ve done. A lot of the time we tend to lose track of the important things in life and the holidays are the perfect time to reflect on what’s really important. Whatever happens, happens for a reason. It’s how we grow.

Whoa, I just got real deep there. I guess I’ll end it there.

More posts to come soon, be sure to follow me on Twitter to be up to date with Cheap Five Dollar Dress, current events, and stupid diatribes. @ryanfinfrock

Signing off.

 

 

You know, I’ve been off and on with this blog. Things get crazy and sometimes, I just don’t have anything to write about. How about a little update on things?

Frock Talk is no more. I recently got a second job (a really good job) and had to make some sacrifices and Frock Talk was unfortunately at the top of the list. Frock Talk was  a blast. I got to argue with people and able to feed my ego for a couple hours a week. What’s better than that? An unintended but inevitable consequence of this second job is my lack of sleep and time. College is freakin’ stressful sometimes. I always seem to make it harder on myself too. I picked a Political Science minor with a Pre-Law focus. Holy crap. It’s awesome, don’t get me wrong, but damn, the workload is intense. Finding the time to sleep is hard enough, let alone keeping up to date with CFDD.

So how about my take on some of the recent news to come out?

Let me start out by asking a question: What do Rob Ford and healthcare.gov have in common?

Rob Ford is Canadian, and, allegedly, the healthcare.gov was developed by a Canadian group. Both are equally dysfunctional.

I actually take pride that cheapfivedollardress.com works much better than healthcare.gov.

New gaming consoles are coming out and are expected to be in extreme demand this holiday season. Have you preordered one? Or are you waiting? Let me know.

Apple released new iPads: the Air and Mini with Retina Display. I got one of the Airs and am extremely pleased with it so far. However, I feel “An Apple Adventure Part 3” is inevitable. I will speak about my experience when I picked up my new iPad… on launch day.

Black Friday is quickly approaching and becoming a thing of the past just as quickly. Stores are now opening up on Thanksgiving night. Yeah, it’s crazy, there’s no other way to put it.

CFDD is back! I’m working on some new things. This was just a very quick (and obviously, very rough) post to get things back up and running.

As always, follow me on Twitter @ryanfinfrock to stay up to date with my take on news and other crap.

Signing off.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I can already imagine what people are going to say: “That’s what you get when you go Apple!” “Android is better and always will be!” “Hippie!” But let me speak, because this time, I had a much better experience.

First it was my Mac, and now my iPhone. The ‘Sleep/wake’ button (the lock button) on my iPhone was not working properly. So, with the phone being under warranty, I took it to the Apple Store. My dad quickly called it my home away from home and told me not to forget to genuflect before the genius bar and offer a sacrifice to Mr. Jobs. My dad is having way too much fun with my struggles.

I got to the mall where the Apple store is located a little early. So I decided to get the full ‘hipster’ experience and get a cup of coffee at Starbucks beforehand. Why not? Don’t judge.

I then headed into the Apple Store and I fit right in (other than the fact I was in sweatpants and a hoodie. Not the normal American Eagle attire that you see way too much of in the Apple Store.) I was extremely skeptical about what might happen once I received help (I mean, who wouldn’t if they went through what I did before?) But all of those were put to rest within the first couple of minutes meeting with my genius.

But before I get into that, I have a proud moment to share. As I sat at my table awaiting help, a gentleman was sitting next to me, fiddling with his iPhone. “What brings you in here today?” He started the conversation.

“The lock button on my iPhone isn’t working.”

“Same here, do you know what they are gonna do?”

“I’m having the same problem with my (iPhone) 4. Do you know what they’ll do?”

“If the phone’s under warranty, they’ll replace it on the spot. But if it’s not, I’m not so sure.”

He knew his phone wasn’t under warranty. It was also a company phone and they weren’t going to cover the cost of repair. So, being the kind and generous person that I am, I showed him a way to get a virtual lock bottom, he hadn’t been serviced yet by his Genius. He guy didn’t want to fork over the money for a replacement so he just took the virtual lock button, and left the Apple Store. I had done my good deed for the day.

Back on track, my genius approached me, asked what the problem was. I told him about my lock button and he said that it was no problem and replaced the phone on the spot.

Why couldn’t my mac experience be that good? While we waited for my new phone to update, I asked questions about cases and talked about media for a little bit. It was quite an enjoyable experience. Complete 180 from my Macbook incident. Maybe a phone is just less complex than a laptop, but everything went a lot smoother.

So I decided to post about this to show fairness on both sides here. My opinion on Apple customer service has definitely changed.

There are certain people who might read this and think that I’m back to living the stereotype that my dad believes I fall under. No, not in the least bit. I’m extremely happy with my Apple products and that’s just what I want.

Now, if something happens after my warranty is up… who knows what will happen…

Quick follow-up:

My mac is still working perfectly after the fix that  I wrote about before. No complaints. For some reason, the screen even looks better than what it used to.. not sure why or even if it’s actually true, but it seems like it.

I’m a fan of Apple products. I’m man enough to admit it. Although I may not be as hardcore as a lot of others, I still pay attention to see what Apple has in the works.

I am the owner of a Macbook Pro and an iPhone 5. Both of which are awesome products. However, I did run into some problems with my Macbook Pro (MBP) recently. The costumer service experience was anything but enjoyable.

Do you remember earlier generation plasma TVs? If you had something on it for too long or were playing video games, you would run into the problem of image persistence (image ghosting, image burn are also synonymous.) A co-worker of mine told me that this happened to a friend of his and the Cartoon Network logo was burnt into his screen and would not go away. This is essentially what happened to my MBP.

I was under the impression that technology has come to the point where we don’t have to worry about this problem anymore, but it seems that I am wrong. The retina screen on my MBP (should have mentioned that earlier) runs at such a high resolution and has a wide viewing angle that I was told that “some ghosting will happen.” (This was mentioned to me after the fact.)

I first noticed the problem while typing a few papers one night. As I finished the papers, I turned on Netflix to take a little break. I noticed that what I had recently typed was still vaguely noticeable while watching President Bartlett talk about his 2nd Inaugural Address. So I paused the show, and looked at my wallpaper, same problem. That’s when I decided to schedule a visit to the nearest Apple store and get it looked at.

The first visit to the Apple store was an interesting one. To add a little bit of entertainment, I decided to tell my dad to come with me. He has his opinion of Apple, and I thought it’d be a little fun to let him experience it with me (best decision ever.) As we entered the store, my dad let his opinions known. Although he kept them between him and me, if he had the chance and the balls, he would have definitely yelled them. He thought he was royalty amongst peasants. “I’m smart enough to stay away from Apple, all of you low-lives are pathetic.” Although he probably wouldn’t admit it, that was his mentality. If he’s reading this, oh well.

As we met with out ‘Genius’ (don’t get me started on my dad and his opinion of the Geniuses) he ran an image persistence test to see if there was, in fact, a problem. There was. So he told me that they would take the laptop in and replace the display; a repair that could take 3-5 days (other factors permitting.) So we went about our way and left the Apple store. On our way out, we caught glimpse of the Microsoft store. There was something about that place that seemed similar to a place that I had been recently: the Apple Store. It was uncanny. I laughed, my dad was on the defense. “If Apple is so bad, why does it look like Microsoft took a play out of their playbook?” He did his normal head shake and shrug and we went back home.

I was punished by having to use the laptop that we recently bought my mom until my laptop was fixed. It was running Windows 8 and it was ‘different.’ It is true about what they say: “Once you go Mac, you never go back.” The experience on that laptop was short live, thankfully.

I received an email the next day saying that my repair was done. “Sweet! Early! I like that!” That meant I could  step away from the contagious disease of a laptop that they call a PC. I had my dad pick it up on his way home from work, a task that he was probably adamant about doing, but reluctantly agreed to.

He can home, and I met him at the door. It was like seeing a family member that had been lost and recently was found. (Ok, now I’m kind of sounding pathetic, but stay with me.) I turned it on and browsed the web for a couple minutes and was greeted with the same problem! This is when frustration set in and a quickly scheduled another Genius Bar appointment to see what was up.

That day came and I decided not to bring my dad with me this time. He had his fun, but with the circumstances, I needed to figure out what was wrong. It turned out that they did not do what they originally set out to do: replace the display. Apparently they ran the same test they did in front of us last week once we left and it passed. So there was no need to do the repair. So they said that they would definitely fix it this time and it would be another 3-5 for the fix. “Ok, as long as it gets fixed.” (May I remind you that this was Superbowl Sunday.) So I went home and went about the rest of my day, or as much as I could before I got another email from Apple saying that my laptop was ready. This was only about an hour and a half after I got home. So the first thing that came to my mind was that the same thing that happened last week, just happened again. So I went back up to the Apple story (about a 30 minute drive each way) and it seemed like the walk from the entrance to the mall to the Apple store took forever. It seemed as with every step I got that much closer to becoming extremely frustrated. Luckily, it was fixed. According to the Genius, the employee who does the repairs on retina screens was in that day and was able to get it done that day. Although I was extremely happy to get my MBP the same day, I couldn’t help but wonder if there could have been a little better communication between employees to better help me. Gas isn’t cheap and the drive isn’t short. I could have easily have killed time browsing the various stores in the mall and wait to get notified that my repair was completed. With all of the technology that Apple embraces, I think that this could have easily of happened. But no.

This isn’t a story of me turning away from Apple and going back to the dark side. This is simply a story of my customer service experience. I still love Apple products. But like every other piece of technology, they have problems. But Apple, I’ll admit, tends to be a little full of themselves when you enter their story and need help with your products. With the type of money we have to spend to get something from Apple, you would think that their customer service experience would be a little better. I’m not expecting free caviar with every visit or a free lap dog, I just want a good customer experience where I can be confident that I will be able to walk away and know that my product will be fixed and working the way it should be. Is that so much to ask?

This has been an interesting week to be looking at Facebook. I think you and I can agree on that fully. The Presidential election provided people the great opportunity to be able to post their thoughts, opinions, disgrace, approval, jubilation, etc. Being the diverse country we are, full of varying races, ethnicities, language, opinions, and lifestyles, I find social mediums such as Facebook to be great outlets for everyone to voice what they may have to say, even if I do find myself in disagreement with them. However, I find myself in the very, very small minority here it seems like.

As much as I did not like the results of the election this past week, I was even more disgruntled at the type of things people were posting on Facebook. There were certain people (and I can guarantee you saw these people too) that wanted people to quit posting their political opinions onto a social network. I can hear those people reading this post right now: “Well, that’s my own opinion! You are preaching about how you like seeing varying opinions on Facebook, I am voicing mine.” To them I say, try Cuba, that country will be perfect for you, no really, go.

I have been in love with social media ever since High School. It is a great way to interact with people you do not see on a daily basis, get to know new people, and stay in touch with family from out of town. However, as I began to grow, in both mind and spirit, I found social media to be a great medium to voice my opinions and have spirited debate to those who may not see eye to eye with me… and there are quite a few who don’t, I found out (shocking!) But there are always those people who say certain opinions should stay off of Facebook. “Politics should stay off of Facebook!” is what they normally say. I just normally laugh and go about my day. A social medium should never be censored by anyone. If you don’t like what someone may be posting on Facebook, I refer you to the second paragraph. Really, I heard it’s nice there.

As a side note: there are certain things I will never post on Facebook because it becomes too controversial and my Facebook will end up being blown up by people who disagree. Some of these topics include: abortion, gay marriage, and marijuana just to name a few. These topics are different in the fact that I feel like people are too passionate about their position and will fight hard if you happen to disagree. I have my opinions on these, and talk about some of them on my blog, but not as a Facebook post. It’s a personal preference of mine.

The point that I’m trying to make here is that someone’s thought on Facebook should be there. It’s one of the most powerful things of social media: being able to voice your opinion, connect with those who agree, and have spirited debate with those who do not agree with you. Don’t go onto Facebook thinking your demand to limit someone’s free speech will get you anywhere. It won’t. I guarantee it.