Es ist ein altbekanntes Prozedere im politischen Tagesgeschäft: Politiker 1 sagt etwas. Politiker 2 versucht sich in freier Interpretation desselben und regt sich dann furchtbar über das auf, was Politiker 1 vermeintlich gemeint hat. Ganz unabhängig davon, ob die ursprüngliche Aussage die Interpretation tatsächlich hergibt.

Eigentlich ist das nichts Ungewöhnliches in der deutschen Polit-Landschaft. Es sei denn, dass nun auch einige Vertreter der Piratenpartei an diesem Spiel teilnehmen.

Anlass ist eine Äußerung der Grünen-Politikerin Renate Künast. In einem Interview zur anstehenden Wahl des Berliner Abgeordnetenhauses sagte sie:

Auch Piraten kann man resozialisieren, wäre meine These.

Typisch Politiker-”Humor”: Eine etwas fade, pseudo-satirische Spitze gegen einen politische Gegner, die nicht wirklich wehtut. Und meist auch keine Lacher erntet.

Piraten sind Schwerverbrecher

Dem reinen Wortlaut nach ist das von Künast Gesagte durchaus korrekt. Schließlich sind auch Piraten nur Schwerverbrecher, sagt zumindest Wikipedia:

Bei Piraterie […] oder Seeräuberei handelt es sich um Gewalttaten, Eigentumsdelikte oder Freiheitsberaubungen, die zu eigennützigen Zwecken unter Gebrauch eines See- oder Luftfahrzeugs auf hoher See oder in anderen Gebieten verübt werden, die keiner staatlichen Gewalt unterliegen.

Und genau solche Schwerverbrecher kann man zumindest versuchsweise einer Resozialisierungs-Maßnahme zuführen. Mit anderen Worten, das leicht humpelnde Künast’sche Wortspiel ist etwa so empörend wie die Namenswahl der Piratenpartei selbst: kaum, wenn überhaupt.

Demnach sollte schon beim ersten Anhören des Interview-Mitschnitts klar sein, dass Künast die Mitglieder dieser Partei nicht ernsthaft als kriminell einstuft oder gar eine Resozialisierung ihrer rund 12.000 Mitglieder für sinnvoll hält.

Und dennoch haben einige Mitglieder sowie “Sympathisanten” der Piraten genau das aus dem Zitat herausgelesen und sich folgerichtig ganz arg furchtbar aufgeregt.

Ist einer meiner besten Freunde kriminell?!

So betitelt beispielsweise mein guter Freund Michael “Bytewurm” Weber seinen Blogpost zum Thema mit “Bin ich ein Krimineller?“. Untermauert durch ein paar Wikipedia-Zitate zur Definition des Begriffs “Resozialisierung” schreibt er unter anderem:

Soso, die ca. 12000 Mitglieder größten [sic!] außerparlamentarischen Partei in Deutschland sind also Kriminelle oder ihnen zumindest gleichgestellt? […]

Ich will gerne glauben, dass das einfach eine unglückliche Formulierung war, die aber einer Spitzenpolitikerin so nicht “rausrutschen” dürfte.

Das Mindeste was wir erwarten dürfen, ist eine öffentliche Entschuldigung.

Daniel Schwerd, Vorsitzender des Vorstandes des Kreisverband Köln der Piratenpartei, schreibt allen Ernstes und wirklich frei von jeglichem Humor:

Welche geistige Haltung verbirgt sich hinter der Idee, die (über 10.000) Mitglieder einer demokratischen Partei pauschal als quasi kriminell, mindestens aber asozial zu bezeichnen? Welche Einstellung zur Demokratie offenbart sich hier? Welche Einstellung zur Demokratie haben Sie [i.e., Frau Künast], mit diesen Mitteln die Abschaffung der größten kleinen Partei Deutschlands zu fordern?

Christopher Lauer, ehemaliger politischer Geschäftsführer der Piratenpartei Deutschland und aktuell Kandidat für das Berliner Abgeordnetenhaus, hat Frau Künast einen Fragenkatalog zugeschickt, um unter anderem Folgendes herauszufinden:

1. Würden Sie für den Fall, dass sich die ca. 12.000 Mitglieder der Piratenpartei weigern resozialisiert zu werden, Gewalt anwenden? […]

2. Streben Sie eine Grüne Einheitspartei an?

Auch wenn’s ziemlich ernst formuliert ist, meint Lauer diese Fragen natürlich nicht ernst. Nur scheint sich das vielen seiner Leser nicht zu erschließen, wie man seinem eigenen Kommentar entnehmen kann:

Da muss ich jetzt aber mal tatsächlich drauf Antworten, weil hier öfter Kommentare a la “Ihr versteht keinen Spaß” kamen: Wirkt auf Dich eine Mail mit der Frage “hätten Sie sich gerne von z.B. Dr. Helmut Kohl resozialisieren lassen” toternst?

Neben diesen drei Beispielen finden sich zahlreiche weitere sehr ernst gemeinte Kommentare zu Künasts Bemerkung, die selbige sehr ernst nehmen.

Die Humor(los)-Keule

Beleidigt sein, auch wenn’s nicht ganz so böse gemeint war? Kann vorkommen! Über flache Witze nicht lachen können? Kein Problem! Angemessen Zurücksticheln gegen den politischen Gegner? Völlig in Ordnung!

Aber diese spröde Humorlosigkeit, das beleidigte Rumschmollen, und die ein oder andere arg aggressive Attacke gegen Frau Künast? Diese Reaktionen haben mich dann doch überrascht und irritiert.

Die Piraten füllen eine wichtige politische Nische in Deutschland, denn sie sind die einzigen, die sich kompetent und konsequent für informationelle Selbstbestimmung, den Schutz der Privatsphäre und ähnliche “digitale Themen” engagieren — und das jenseits jeglicher Klientel-Anbiederung.

Als Antwort auf Künasts Resozialisierungs-Vorschlag hätte ich mir folglich ein entspanntes, selbstbewusstes Schmunzeln plus Fingerzeig auf die erfreulichen aktuellen Umfragewerte gewünscht, dicht gefolgt von der Rückkehr zur soliden und glaubwürdigen inhaltlichen Arbeit.

Das vorsätzliche(?) Fehl-Interpretieren vergleichsweise bedeutungsloser Äußerungen mit anschließender extensiver persönlicher Betroffenheits-Bekundung sollten die Piraten — die übrigens auch dank meiner Stimme im Aachener Rathaus vertreten sind — getrost den etabliert(er)en Parteien überlassen.

None of the other airlines I’ve flown with could boast onboard personnel that is so welcoming as BA’s. The atmosphere on board is downright cozy, and the purser’s “Would you like tea or coffee, Sir?” in a fine English sing-song is so much more pleasant than “Somessink to drink voh you?!”

As a long-time BA passenger, I’ve collected quite a few “BA Miles” with the airline’s “Executive Club” loyalty program throughout the years. Those miles just got a new name: They shall henceforth be known as “Avios”!

“Avios” — It’s what’s for flying

Besides the name, some of the program’s features will also change. E.g., there will be a broader range of bonus awards that you can purchase with your Avios. Umh, by the way, is “Avios” plural? As in, “one Avio”, “two Avios”, etc.? Or is it singular? In which case I’d wonder what the plural is: “one Avios”, “two Avioses”? And why did I have to think of “adios” the very moment that I first saw that name?!

Oh well. Whatever.

See, it’s nice that they came up with a new name and all that. But none of this addresses the key problem with the Executive Club program, and that’s the availability of flights you can purchase with Miles. Umh, I mean, Avios(es).

As of now, my Executive Club account lists just over 150,000 BA Miles/Avios. That’s enough to buy three return flights from Europe to the US and back. But with a single exception, every time I tried to buy such a flight reward, I could not find any flights for the dates I was looking at. Let me show you just how bad that problem is.

In theory, there are no restrictions on reward flights. In theory.

How about trying to find a reward flight from Düsseldorf, my German “home airport”, and Denver in the US, which currently is my most frequent long-distance route. And just for the kick of it, lets look at the availability of award flights in six months.

Seats in economy are easily available, but the possible dates for grabbing a Premium Economy seat on that route looks rather, shall we say, spotty?

For the eastbound flight, I am offered a choice from merely six of that month’s 31 days. And, again, that is with a booking lead time of six months! Well, at least there’s more choice for the return flight. Unless I would prefer to treat myself to a lush Business Class seat. In that case, there are even fewer choices.

Function goes before label

I’m not a big fan of re-branding campaigns. In many cases, they’re like giving a car a new paint job. But if you start out with a clunker, there will always be a clunker underneath that paint, no matter how great the craftsmanship that went into the project.

BA’s Executive Club certainly is far from being a clunker among its peers, and I don’t really care all that much what label is attached to the frequent-flyer miles I have earned. I just wish that British Airways were less restrictive in how they make award flights available so that all of those Avios, née BA Miles, were actually (more) useful.

Here’s hoping that the powers that Be Ay (sorry…!) will look into this aspect of their loyalty program as soon as their marketing folks’ headrush over the Avios campaign has subsided.

I was handed the little brochure by an attendant when I asked at the taxi stand where to join the line. Published monthly, the Getting Around Town guide contains lists of taxi companies’, airlines’, and city attractions’ phone numbers plus a schedule of cultural events for that month.

More important, though, is what you see when you completely unfold the brochure.

There’s a full fare table for cab services from DFW airport, and an overview map of the Dallas/Fort Worth area and both cities’ central business districts. For some destination like close-by cities and special points of interest, an estimated fare is listed. If the amount shown on your cab’s meter as too far off the ballpark figure listed here, you know that something didn’t quite go as planned

In case you do have a difference of opinion with your temporary chauffeur, a section in the brochure explains what your rights are. For example, it’s good to know that all “DFW permitted” taxicabs (must) accept credit cards. I remember flying into my “home airport” in Düsseldorf once, and was surprised when I found out how many cabbies there don’t even accept debit cards.

Finally, in the unlikely event that you really fail to part with your cabbie on friendly terms, there’s a phone number and an email address under which you can reach the Airport Information Center to file a complaint or ask for further help.

Thanks to this brochure, a cab ride to or from Dallas/Fort Worth airport is one less thing a traveler needs to worry about. Now, if only such information were as easily available at other airports, too.

Upon closer inspection I noticed that the Micromat contacts page now does list an email address, allowing their customers to reach the Micromat tech support people directly. Kudos to Micromat for making it so much easier for their customers to contact them.

May this little rant serve as a reminder of how to do it right.

If you have ever used a software application from The Omni Group you will likely agree that their software rocks. And so does their customer support.

Lending customers a virtual helping hand

Want to get in touch with someone at Omni Group? The friendly invitation to “Send Feedback…” is just a short mouse pointer journey away in the Help menu.

Select that menu item, and your email client of choice springs into action, displaying a shiny new email, which is addressed to the Omni Group’s support wizards. Its subject line names the product that your inquiry is about and also lists your serial number. The body of the message is as empty, giving you lots of uncluttered room to describe your problem, ask for help, praise the application, or what have you.

Once you send your inquiry email on its way, you almost immediately get an automatic reply to confirm that your message has made it to Omni’s Seattle, WA, headquarters. And a few short hours later, you can expect to receive a friendly and helpful reply, custom-written by a human just for you.

Don’t you wish that all software applications made contacting their developers this easy: absolutely no hurdles to jump over, no hoops to jump through, and no puddles of mud to jump into.¹

Simply put, this is just how contacting customer support short work. Kindly keep this in mind, because I need to take a quick detour now.

Essential maintenance software going on strike

Every computer will develop odd behavior of some sort sometime. If that happens, it helps to have a computer maintenance application at hand. One such utility that I have been using for years now, is Micromat’s TechTool Pro.

TechTool Pro, or TTP for short, is a very powerful, very versatile, and reasonably easy-to-use application for performing maintenance tasks on a Mac, like checking the main board for defects, reading out a hard drive’s SMART code, repairing a volume’s directory structure, etc.

When I moved to a new laptop end of last year, TTP was among the list of applications I installed straight away. Instead of relying on OS X’s Migration Assistant to bring over all my data and applications, I configured that new machine from scratch. Consequently, all applications, including TTP, were freshly installed from scratch, too.

When I tried to run TechTool Pro’s standard suite of tests for the first time, the first test from that suite (Memory) finished just fine. As soon as the screen for test number two (Video Memory) appeared, however, the software stalled. Further indication that something wasn’t quite right was the lack of information in the Video Memory section, and also that my Mac’s model was listed as “ATM,” and its build date given as November 2000.

Trying to quit the Video Memory test and some of the others that were still in the pipeline, failed, and quitting the application brought up some errors, as well.

In other words, something was seriously fishy. So I went searching for some helpful information on Micromat’s online forum. According to a support forum entry, the current version of TTP should run on my Mac just fine.

Since I could not find any further relevant help in Micromat’s forum, I decided to get in touch with their tech support department. According to the TechTool Pro manual — which is a seriously good example for a well-written, concise, and complete software users’ manual –, one option for contacting them is via email, so I set out to compose my inquiry in Mail.app.

The first of too many steps

After that little detour, let’s get back to the topic of customer service.

Getting help for the problems I had run into with TechTool Pro turned out to be much more involved than I had hoped.

The PDF version of the manual that is installed along with the TechTool Pro application does not list any phone numbers or email addresses, so I needed to look up my options on the Micromat website’s “Contact Us” page.

While this page does list some email addresses, there is none for directly contacting their tech support department. Instead, the page refers to the site’s “Support Section” for technical support inquiries.

As a paying customer, I refuse to use an online forum to post a tech support question, as it requires too much follow-up effort on my end. Also, I expect the experts, i.e., the software’s makers, to respond to my questions, and I am not willing to sift through well-intentioned, but all-too-often useless responses from other users.

The Knowledge Base, which is also listed here, does not even provide any information on version 5 of TechTool Pro as I write this.

I also skipped the third and last option of calling the company, because I had made the decision to get in touch with them at a time that was already outside their business hours.

And after all, the manual explicitly mentions email support, so that was what I was looking for.

The long and winding tech support road

Not shown in the “Support Section” is yet another option labeled “Online Support,” which is only found in the site’s navigation menu. When you follow that link and log into the Micromat website, you are taken to an “Account Control Panel” that lists your registered products. It is here that you can request a support incident.

After clicking a “request” link, a plain form appears where you can enter your tech support inquiry or — copy-n-paste the body of the message that you had written because you thought you could just shoot these guys an email.

Any support enquiries that you have submitted this way, are listed in the Support Section, so that you can always check their status online.

To get to this point, i.e., to submit my support enquiry to Micromat, I had to…

1. search TechTool Pro’s documentation PDF for contact information
2. visit the Micromat website and search for the support contact details
3. log into the tech support area on the site
4. open a new “support incident”
5. enter my request for help and submit it

Compare this to:

1. Select “Send Feedback…”
2. Write email and hit the Send button

Apart from the process being so involved, I found it to be extremely tedious and annoying how Micromat made me hunt for the required contact information.

A surprisingly quick (and underperforming) response

Having posted my inquiry with Micromat at 7:42pm, I was pleasantly surprised that their reply showed up in my email inbox at 9:52am the next morning. The reply’s contents were disappointing, though, since the email only contained this canned body copy, that did not even include a salutation or greeting, …

Thank you for contacting Micromat technical support.

You can login to your account and read the response to your tech support questions by clicking on the link below:

… followed by a link to the support “conversation” on their website.

So I clicked the link, logged into the site again, was taken to the forum, and read their response.

It instructed me to repair the permissions on my Mac, uninstall TechTool Pro, and then install it again from scratch with a stand-alone installer (as opposed to installing 5.0.3 from the boxed DVD and updating it in two separate steps to 5.0.7).

The stand-alone installer is available as a disk image for download from Micromat’s ftp server. Even though the software needs to be “unlocked” by entering a registration code, the disk image is also “protected” with a password. I doubt that this password will prevent committed pirates from obtaining a copy of the TTP installer, but I know for sure that this adds yet another onerous task for customers who paid for the software.

Like the password, the link to the disk image was included in the reply from Micromat support, but wasn’t clickable, so downloading the file took yet more copy-n-pasting.

In summary, following up on my tech support request to Micromat required me to:

1. read their email response
2. click on the link inside the email to go their online support reply
3. log into their online forum (admittedly, the login form does feature a “remember me” checkbox)
4. read their reply
5. copy the download link for the installer disk image
6. launch my ftp client of choice and paste in the link to start the download²
7. open the disk image
8. enter the password
9. launch the installer on the disk image

Alternatively, my customer experience could have been this:

1. read their email response
2. click a link inside that email to start downloading the installer disk image
3. open the (non-password-”protected”) disk image
4. launch the installer

Much less hassle, much quicker, much more user-friendly — and much more conducive to creating a truly positive customer experience.

On a tangent: the simple workflow to fix this problem, as well as the availability of the stand-alone installer for the current version of the software, make me wonder whether what I had reported to Micromat is a “known issue” for them.

If that is the case, why isn’t it easier to find this fix on their website, e.g., via the site’s Knowledge Base page? Which, as I had said earlier, does not mention the current version 5 of the software at all.

The correlation between tech support and customer happiness

There are bigger problems to be tackled than a botched customer experience job like this one. No doubt.

Then again, dealing with this problem cost me a lot of time and, as you may imagine, also seriously worsened my mood. Because it would be so easy to make the overall process much simpler, more effective, and less tiresome.

Compared to Omni Group’s awesome support experience, Micromat’s was very lack-luster. A big part of this is that I was required to take care of a lot of steps along the way that should have already been taken care of by the Micromat guys.

It’s a welcome coincidence that The Omni Group’s support manager, Brian Covey, gave a talk about “giving and getting good customer service on the internet” at Macworld in San Francisco last January. This should be required viewing for anyone involved with managing customer service.

Brian’s video makes for great (and, at only 15 minutes, very short) viewing for customers, too, because he also explains how to properly write tech support inquiries. A well-written and well-formatted email helps support technicians find and solve a customers’ problem quicker and more thoroughly. And that, in turn, results in better replies, getting the user back on track more quickly and more easily, too.

Auf seinem lesenswerten Blog rund um Content Usability erzählt Claus Wagner davon, wie er während einer weihnachtlichen Einkaufstour mit seinem Sohn auf ein nicht ganz eindeutig zu interpretierendes Verpackungs-Foto stößt: hat dieses Modellauto nun einen Aufziehmotor oder nicht?

Wie Claus’ Anekdote belegt, kann das ein oder andere Bild durch das Hinzufügen von nur ein, zwei Worten deutlich gewinnen: nämlich an Eindeutigkeit und Aussagekraft.

Ein Kundenbild aus der Steinzeit

Sehr viel problematischer als die Mehrdeutigkeit dieses Fotos ist allerdings das Bild, das der Spielzeug-Händler in Sachen Kundenfreundlichkeit bietet: “Das Öffnen der Ware zwingt zum Kauf!” steht dort auf einem Schild am Spielwaren-Regal.

Ist das nicht die Art “Kundenorientierung”, wie sie allenfalls bis in die frühen Siebziger als akzeptabel galt? Hat diese Firma schlicht vergessen, ein altes Schild abzuhängen? Oder verhalten sie sich nach wie vor so, wie das Schild befürchten lässt?

Dem Artikel nach zu urteilen, trifft leider Letzteres zu.

Wenn ein Kundenberater — und “sogar” Verkaufspersonal im Einzelhandel sollte sich als solche verstehen — ein von ihm angebotenes Produkt nicht exakt kennt, sollte es selbstverständlich sein, dass der Kunde einen näheren Blick darauf werfen kann, bevor er die Brieftasche zückt. Und zwar ganz unabhängig davon, ob das Produkt dazu aus seiner Verpackung geholt werden muss oder nicht.

Auf die Frage des Kunden, ob er das Produkt mal auspacken und näher begutachten dürfe, gibt es also eigentlich nur diese eine Antwort: “Selbstverständlich. Ich packe es ihnen gerne aus!”

Natürlich öffnen wir das für Sie!

Mit diesem Angebot, das Produkt für den Kunden auszupacken, erledigt sich auch ein Problem, das möglicherweise der Grund für das Kaufzwang-Schild ist: dass nämlich beim “unkontrollierten” Auspacken durch Kunden die Produkte oder deren Verpackung beschädigt werden können, dass Teile aus der Packung verloren gehen, usw.

Schließlich möchte derjenige, der dann letztlich zuschlägt und etwas kauft, auch ein tatsächlich einwandfreies, nagelneues Produkt erstehen — und kein zerfleddertes Kundentest-Opfer in der Trümmerpackung.

Man stelle sich vor, das Verbotsschild würde durch eines mit folgendem Text ersetzt: “Selbstverständlich öffnen wir Ware gerne für Sie. Bitte wenden Sie sich hierzu an unser Personal, das Ihnen gerne behilflich ist!”

Klingt kundenfreundlich und -orientiert — und ist es auch.

Zumindest theoretisch, denn das Personal muss natürlich tatsächlich willens und fähig sein, einen Kunden auf dem Niveau zu bedienen, das ein solches Schild verspricht. Falls das nicht der Fall ist, sollte das alte Kaufzwang-Schild einfach hängen bleiben.

Dann dient es nämlich als ehrliche Warnung an die Kunden, auf dass diese daraufhin umgehend kehrt machen und zu einem freundlicheren Mitbewerber wechseln mögen.

Gemeinnützige Organisationen haben es schwer heutzutage: unzählige Non-Profits konkurrieren um die Gunst der edlen Spender — aber eben jenen sitzt das Geld bei Weitem nicht mehr so locker wie noch vor ein paar Jahren.

Dementsprechend einfallsreich sind die Extras, die den Bittbriefen beigelegt werden in der Hoffnung, damit des Spenders Herz zu erweichen, auf dass er reichlich geben möge. Von Adressaufklebern über Grußkarten bis zu Jahresplanern ist alles zu haben.

Ob derartiger Schnickschnack die Spendenwilligkeit der Adressaten tatsächlich erhöht, vermag ich nicht zu beurteilen. Zumindest dürften aber die Produktions-Kosten für derlei papierne Druckwaren noch halbwegs akzeptabel sein.

Werbe-Müll, mit Spenden finanziert

Bei dem “Präsent”, das vor einiger Zeit aus einem Brief des World Children’s Fund herausfiel, trifft genau das sicherlich nicht mehr zu: ein “Nähset”, bestehend aus Garn, Nadeln, Plastik-Fingerhut, Mini-Schere und Einfädler.

Was laut dem beiliegenden Brief als “Zeichen meiner Dankbarkeit” daherkommt — denn “Nichts auf der Welt könnte Ihre Barmherzigkeit aufwiegen.” –, ist nutzloser Ramsch der allerbilligsten Machart.

Dass dieser in Fernost gefertigt wurde, liegt angesichts der Qualität nicht nur nahe, sondern wird durch einen “Made in China”-Schriftzug ganz offiziell bestätigt.

Es hat schon einen seltsamen Beigeschmack, wenn eine Organisation, die sich dem Wohl der Kinder verschreibt, Produkte aus einem Land vertreibt, in dem Kinderarbeit — insbesondere auch bei der Herstellung solcher “Pfennigartikel” — traurige Alltagsrealität ist.

Wer sich ein Bild darüber verschaffen will, welchen Anteil der Spenden-Gelder der World Children’s Fund in diese Art von Marketing investiert, hat schlechte Karten. Eine öffentliche Antwort auf diese Frage bleibt die Organisation nämlich schuldig: Die Seite “Finanzielle Rechenschaft” auf der offiziellen Website bietet viel wohl-klingende Floskeln, aber keine handfesten Zahlen.

Laut FAQ sind diese Informationen immerhin auf Anfrage zu haben:

Wenn Sie möchten, könnten wir Ihnen Informationen zu unserer Vision, unseren Programmen und darüber zusenden, wie wir die Spenden verwenden, die Sie uns für die bedürftigen Kinder zukommen lassen. Kontaktieren Sie uns und nennen Sie uns dabei Ihren vollständigen Namen und Ihre Adresse; wir werden Ihnen die Informationen dann zusenden.

Das klingt vielversprechend. Wie jedoch auf der Website von Charity Watch nachzulesen ist, bleibt es nur bei einem Versprechen:

Eine Mailanfrage mit der Bitte um Übersendung des Jahresberichts wurde mit wenig aussagekräftigen Unterlagen beantwortet. Das anschließend mit der Office Managerin Tina Giove geführte Telefonat lieferte ebenfalls wenig erhellendes. So wurde zum Beispiel die Frage nach einer Einnahmen-Überschussrechnung und der Bilanz mit der Auskunft abgetan, diese unterliegen dem Geschäftsgeheimnis.

Auf der Website der britischen Charities Direct finden sich dann doch noch ein paar finanzielle Eckdaten zum britischen Ableger des World Children’s Fund. Danach werden satte 28.65% des Spendenaufkommens für Fundraising ausgegeben. Gemäß der Beratungs-Firma GuideStar Data Services liegt der Durchschnitt für diese Ausgaben (PDF 184kB) in Großbritannien bei weniger als der Hälfte, nämlich bei rund 14%.

Messbare Transparenz statt hehrer Worte

Ein Beispiel dafür, wieviel Transparenz man als Unterstützer durchaus erwarten kann, zeigt SOS Kinderdorf: Ganz ohne umständliche persönliche Anfrage ist der vollständige und ausführliche Jahresbericht für jedermann direkt zugänglich.

Somit kann man sich selbst ein klares Bild davon machen, was mit dem gespendeten Geld — bei SOS Kinderdorf immerhin fast 120 Millionen Euro in 2009! — geschieht und wieviel davon insbesondere für Marketing-Maßnahmen verbrannt wird.

Eigentlich sollte man World Children’s Fund dankbar sein. Dankbar dafür, dass ihre aufwendigen Präsente schon ein Hinweis auf vermutlich unverhältnismäßig hohe Ausgaben für Werbung sind. Es wäre natürlich schön, wenn sich diese Befürchtung dank harter Zahlen widerlegen ließe. Aber: siehe oben!

Nicht immer jedoch ist der Zaunpfahl, mit dem zweifelhafte Non-Profits winken, so groß. Also was tun, wenn die Bitte um Geldzuwendung subtiler ausfällt? Wie lässt sich herausfinden, ob eine Organisation des Spenders Vertrauen verdient?

Drum prüfe…

Zwei wertvolle und hilfreiche Ressourcen stellen die Websites des DZI Deutsches Zentralinstitut für soziale Fragen sowie von Charity Watch dar.

Charity Watch verwaltet eine umfassende Datenbank mit Informationen zu zahlreichen Hilfsorganisationen. Bevor man auf ein Spendengesuch eingeht, lässt sich auf dieser Website schnell und einfach recherchieren, ob die entsprechende Organisation vertrauenswürdig ist oder nicht.

Das DZI gibt einen alljährlichen Spenden-Almanach heraus und vergibt ein Spenden-Siegel an Hilfsorganisationen, die bestimmte Anforderungen an finanzielle Transparenz und Mittelverwendung erfüllen. Während der Almanach gegen eine kleine Gebühr zu bestellen ist, kann die Liste der mit dem Siegel ausgezeichneten Organisationen online eingesehen werden.

Ach übrigens: Zum World Children’s Fund hat das DZI in einer Presseerklärung vom Dezember 2010 (PDF 44kB) klar Stellung genommen — und ausdrücklich vor dieser Organisation gewarnt.

Actually getting to those far-away places, though, often isn’t quite as enjoyable. A constant pain in the frequent travelers’ collective behind are inexperienced tourists who are not familiar with certain procedures and processes. And all too often, they make matters even worse by trying to show off some (non-existent) cosmopolitan travel prowess through arrogant behavior.

A not-so-express connection through Heathrow

While traveling from the US to mainland Europe last week, I had a quick stop-over at London Heathrow. “Quick” as in 1 hour, 10 minutes between both flights, which was plenty during previous experiences of this kind. Due to a 40 minute delay of the incoming flight, however, it didn’t work quite as smoothly this time.

The problem was somewhat exacerbated by our plane “docking” at Terminal 5 B, requiring us to be taken to T5 A by bus, which cost another ten minutes, or so. When the bus arrived, passengers on two connecting flights, including mine, were handed “Express Connection” cards.

These “Express Connection” cards grant passengers the right to use the Fast Track pathways, regardless of whether they are entitled to this privilege based on their flight’s booking class or membership in the British Airways frequent flyer program. Unfortunately, neither Fast Track nor Express Connection will help you get past the above-mentioned fellow-travelers from the “Nuisance through Ignorance” Club.

And so I and a “few” other passengers waited more or less patiently in line at the security checkpoint as a middle-aged couple slowly and very accurately removed bottles from the lady’s “beauty case” and placed them on the X-ray belt — one bottle at a time. And once this ordeal was finally over, the Lord and Lady Slowpoke still had to be told to also properly empty their pockets, and how to walk through the metal detector — one person at a time.

Turns out, these two were just the opening act for the party of passengers that was next in line: a Mom with two small kids plus Grandma in tow, and all of them behaved as if they had never seen the inside of an airport before. Ever.

Their discussions with the security personnel went on for what felt like hours, as these people were not only clueless about what they had to place on the belt, but seemed to have some non-trivial language issues with the security staff, as well.

Not surprisingly, the kids were running around nervously, and I did feel sorry for them, because they were obviously pretty scared about the whole situation. In the meantime, Mom and Grandma gently transitioned into that infamous “I try to hide my cluelessness through arrogance” mode.

And there even was a final tasty blob of cream to top it all off: when they had finally managed to proceed through the metal detector and arrived at the other end of the baggage belt, they started mimicking the previous couple by taking their shit from the belt one frickin’ item at a time. Pick it up from the belt, walk it over to a close-by table, walk back to the belt, move one of the kids out of harms way, pick up another item…

These baggage belts at Terminal 5 sport a very cool technical feature: at the end of the X-ray belt, a little overhead camera checks whether the trays are empty before they enter a tunnel through which they are taken back to the beginning of the belt. If there is still stuff inside a tray, the belt is stopped until the passenger has removed all of their belongings. Which means that, while the belt is stopped, the passengers who are next in line have to wait for their trays to come out of the X-ray machine. And those waiting at the beginning of the belt have to wait before they can put their things onto the belt.

Since Miss I-Don’t-Travel-All-That-Much-Really took an excruciatingly long time to empty her tray — and, it almost seemed, did so on purpose –, she created a tray traffic jam on that belt that rivaled what you see on the M25¹ during rush hour. And as a result of that, other passenger could not get their stuff, because most of the belt is fenced off by a glass tunnel to prevent people from grabbing things that aren’t theirs.

At this point, having just gotten off a 9-hour overnighter, I couldn’t help but utter “Some people should just not fly”, which was immediately greeted by a heart-felt “Yeah, I think you’re right” by the person standing next to me, and nods all-around.

“Flight closing”

When I had finally collected all my stuff, tied my shoes, etc., and headed for my gate, the first destination board I saw listed my flight as “closing.”

I never thought that all those countless hours I had spent on playing car racing games would ever pay off, but when I hurried to my gate through typical Heathrow people-traffic, I was amazed how my PlayStation-Formula-1-game-trained eye found openings in that very traffic, enabling me to out-maneuver everyone around me and find a reasonably quick path through that crowd.

In return for my brave efforts, I was greeted by the checkered flag at my gate. OK, not quite a checkered flag, but they were waiting for me, as I heard a voice shouting “Mr Wolters? Mr WOLTERS?!?” in my direction. And as befits a winner, I stuck out my right index finger (my left hand was clutching my carry-on’s handle), pointed said finger at myself, and, now quite out of breath, croaked “That’s me! That’s ME!”

This almost sounds like a fun experience, but, seriously, my heart rate only started to go down when the charming BA lady told me “You made it! You’re on the flight!”.

Getting onto a plane as the very last passenger sucks. Kids, don’t try this if you hate the idea of getting the evil eye from a whole plane full of people. Never mind. It wasn’t my fault, and at that point I was well beyond caring.

The stress-free way of making it through airport security

In case you’re a frequent traveler, chances are that you have already developed your very own process for getting through security as quickly and smoothly as possible. In that case, congratulations, a heart-felt “Thank you for not being an ignorant, selfish ass!,” and feel free to stop reading this article right now. Safe travels!

If you do not practice such a security checkpoint workflow, though, and you want to avoid causing the same annoying hold-ups that I experienced, here’s what you can do to make an airport security check as painless as possible — both for yourself and for your fellow-travelers.

The key principle of this workflow is to handle as few items as possible while you’re inside the actual security checkpoint. To that end, you start preparing for this procedure while you’re still at home: pack your laptop and liquids into your carry-on bag in such a way that you can remove them quickly and conveniently. Here’s how.

According to current regulations, any liquids you bring on-board must be placed in a zippered plastic bag.² I place this bag in a pouch which faces the “outside” edge of the bag. For my laptop, I use the really awesome Brenthaven Trek Sleeve, which has just enough room for the laptop, the power adapter, and a few cables. I position this laptop bag inside the carry-on so that its zipper — which I leave open! — is facing the same way (when the carry-on is properly closed) as the liquids bag.

As a result, by simply opening the zipper on the carry-on’s side, I can grab both the liquids bag as well as the laptop, and pull them out in a few seconds without too much hassle.

Next up is what you should do when you arrive at the security checkpoint.

• If there is enough room inside the carry-on, put your jacket inside it before you join the security queue. This gives you more room and empty hands to juggle your things. If it won’t fit, put your jacket over your arm. Then get in line.
• As soon as you see the “door frame” of the metal detector, untie your shoes.
• Unbuckle your belt, remove it from your pants, and put it into your carry-on.
• Remove everything from your shirt and pants pockets, and also put it into your jacket (in zippered pockets, if possible) or carry-on.
• When there are some three or four people left between you and the baggage X-ray belt, take out your liquids bag and laptop, and properly close your carry-on.

At this point, if all has gone well, you have only three or four items that you need to handle: your carry-on, your liquids bag, your laptop, and maybe your jacket.

• Step up to the belt and grab a tray. Place your laptop, liquids bag, (jacket,) and shoes into the tray. Put your carry-on onto the belt (on a tray, if required), and send them off into the X-ray box.
• Walk through the metal detector while trying to keep an eye on your belongings on the belt if possible.
• At the other side, put your shoes back on (leave them untied for now), grab your laptop, liquids bag, (jacket,) and carry-on, and move away from the belt to an area where you have enough room and “quiet” to sort out your stuff.
• Tie your shoes, put your belt back on, and put back any items you had removed from your pants and shirt, making sure that you haven’t left anything behind.
• Get your carry-on, head to your gate, and enjoy your — possibly new-found — travel-savvy!

A usability view of security checkpoints

I tried to give this story a funny twist here and there to make a reasonably entertaining read. Nevertheless, experiences such as these also point to a serious underlying problem.

Most modern airports have big signs that explain how to prepare for, and get through, security checkpoints. And yet, there seem to be so many people who still don’t get it. You just have to come to the conclusion that the people who designed the security checkpoints — the spacial arrangement of the checkpoint stations, the signs, the overall process — have failed pretty badly.

The process is fairly simple, really. In essence, it works like this:

• Put everything on the belt except your pants/skirt, shirt/blouse, socks, and underwear.
• Keep liquids together in a clear plastic bag (as per detailed regulations/instructions).
• Take your laptop, similar devices, and the liquids bag out of your travel bag.

It really does not go beyond this, or does it? And it should not be too difficult to design signage that explains these steps so that anyone can comprehend it. Am I asking too much when I expect a place as sensitive to hiccups in “people-flows,” and with such huge revenue streams, as an airport, to invest in actual user testing of signage? With people from many different countries and cultural backgrounds?

Heck, place a UI researcher right at the entrance to the security queue, and ask the real-world passengers whether a) they have actually spotted any signs with instructions, and b) they understand what those signs are saying. Shouldn’t be all that complicated, right?

The very least the company operating an airport could do is ensure that any instructions they do put up have been written by people who know the language. In other words, please do spare us from crappy English like “1. Take a bowl. 2. Inlay the objects.” I swear I saw these exact phrases at the international(!) airport of Düsseldorf, Germany, a while ago!

Even with proper, intuitive signage in place, people would most likely still make mistakes. People get nervous and insecure when confronted with an unfamiliar situation, especially when rushed through, and/or caught in, a big crowd. When this does happen, why don’t security lines have a “step-aside” area at the beginning of the X-ray belt, so if someone is ill-prepared, they can be moved there for sorting out their things without standing in other passengers’ way?

Dare I say it? The root problem here is bad usability. Bad usability at a grand scale. Bad usability of explaining the process of getting through airport security, and bad usability of the “apparatus” that is used to perform the checks: the waiting areas, walkways, and conveyor belts of the checkpoints.

Wouldn’t that be a great challenge for a talented UX designer: start from scratch and develop an optimized process that allows passengers to be relaxed and vacation-happy while going through security as well as afterwards.

Until that happens, though, I should probably put some home-made instructions into my wallet: “Take a deep breath. And another one. And remember that this, too, shall pass. Eventually.” is what it’ll say.

Ron and Steve, both very active members of the Fort Collins community of web pros, are seriously passionate and seriously competent about all things web. It’s no wonder, then, that their Einstein & Sock Monkey podcast covers lots of interesting topics that appeal to anyone who, in one way or another, is involved in web content creation.

Presented as a casual conversation, every episode comes with an in-depth interview as its main course, garnished with a generous helping of recent news, announcements of upcoming conferences, a virtual book club, and the blogs of the week. Mr. Einstein and the Sock Monkey¹ were kind enough to welcome me as a guest on two of these shows.

In episode two, Ron, Steve, and I take a close look at the merits and the implications of the now-infamous Wired article, “The Web is Dead.”

Episode four, which just went online today, features an interview with Jeremy Keith, the author of “HTML5 For Web Designers,” and with web designer Lindsey Ogden. As a guest co-host, I enjoyed our chat about news and blogs which enframed the interview.

If you’re into strategizing, designing, or implementing web sites, do give Einstein and Sock Monkey a listen.

Geek enlightenment

In case you haven’t heard about Ignite yet, this series of events is based on an intriguing idea: you can talk about (almost) anything you find worth sharing, but you get only five minutes and twenty slides, and the slides change automatically every 15 seconds.

This may not sound like a big deal, but even for seasoned speakers it can be quite a challenge to fit all that they want to say into this rigid framework. And people do have a lot to say — about a very wide range of topics.

Finding your topic

At SXSW 2009, John Gruber and Merlin Mann discussed how to turbocharge your blog with credibility. The very essence of that discussion is when Merlin explains what he calls a “controlling metaphor” for publishing something on the web:

Topic times voice. Or, if you’re a little bit more of a maverick, obsession times voice.

So what does that mean? I think almost all of the best non-fiction that has ever been made comes from the result of somebody who can’t stop thinking about a certain topic — a very specific aspect, in some cases, of a certain topic. And second, they got really good at figuring out what they had to say about it.

And if you have obsession without voice — or topic without voice — what do you have? You have basically a keyword search. […] And then, on the other hand, if you have voice without an obsession, you get a lot of, y’know, people commenting on the Thai food that they just had, on Twitter.

The same rationale also applies to Ignite talks.

If you plan to speak at an Ignite event, think about the topics you are truly obsessed with. The stuff that totally grabs your attention whenever you see it — that you cannot not think about.

When in doubt, just ask your friends. They will definitely know what makes your brain kick into gear, because they have had to listen to you talk about that one subject many, many times…

While, generally speaking, there is room for almost any topic at Ignite, some organizers explicitly state what kind of talk they would like to see for their event, like “family friendly.” As long as you respect this kind of minor limitation, you should be fine even with controversial subjects.

Now, what’s that thing about finding your own voice? You know, I find that term a bit limiting and would prefer to extend it to “voice plus perspective.”

It’s not only what words you will use, how you will combine the words into sentences, and how you will phrase those sentences. The point of view from which you are looking at your subject matter is at least as important as your “voice.”

To sum this up, a really great Ignite talk will make the audience think: “Hey, why have I never heard of this topic before?” or “Wow, I had never thought about this topic that way!”

Preparing your talk

There is no One True Way to prepare for an Ignite presentation. Just trust your instincts and rely on your experience with similar projects from school, uni, or work, and watch a few Ignite videos for additional inspiration.

What’s unique about Ignite, though, is the rigid format: 5 minutes, 20 slides, 15 seconds per slide. During your preparation, you need to keep in mind that there is no way to present every single detail of your topic within that format.

Five minutes are more than enough, though, to get your audience interested in your chosen topic, so that, if the topic strikes their fancy, they will want to learn more about it. Or join a cause that is dear to you!

Use your talk as a teaser: show your audience why your topic is important (at least it is sufficiently important to you that you want to talk about it, right?); how it affects them; and what they should do about it.

Regardless of how you compile ideas and then transmogrify them into a coherent talk: as soon as you have submitted a talk for an Ignite event, you should start taking notes about what comes to your mind when you think of your subject. That is probably the easiest way to make your subconscious continuously munch away on the topic.

As soon as you hear that your talk has been accepted, start working on your presentation. Before you actually implement your slides, check what formats the organizers requested for the formatting of your slides, the file type, etc.

Practice your talk early, and practice often: it’s a good idea to start practicing giving your presentation while you’re still preparing the slides. Here’s why: chances are that, as soon as you actually start practicing your talk with the slides you already have, you will see that the pacing does not work. At all.

Also, if you still have blank slides to fill, you might very well come up with a great idea about how to fill those gaps during your practice runs. Practice with your slides and keep modifying both your words and your slides until your talk — the combination of what you say and what your slides show — is in sync and feels just right.

If my personal experience is any indication, keep practicing even if you’re convinced that you have nailed your presentation. I skipped two days of practicing over the weekend before the show, and when I rehearsed my talk the following Monday, it took me a while to get into my rhythm again.

Giving your talk

On the day of the event, get to the venue in time. Attend the speaker briefing and sound check, make yourself familiar with the surroundings, and mingle with the attendees to get a feel for the atmosphere in the crowd.

Have your first alcoholic beverage of the evening after your talk. And try enjoying the talks of those speakers who come before you, even if you’re nervously awaiting your turn.

When it’s your time to climb onto the stage, relax. You will be talking about something you are passionate about and most likely very familiar with. You’ve gone through ample dry runs for this talk (right?), and the audience is on your side and eagerly wants to find out what you’re passionate about.

Get more advice

There is lots more advice out there on how to give an Ignite talk, but avoid getting sidetracked. Since you’ve already read a whole (way too lengthy, I have to admit) article on the subject, have a look at Scott Berkun’s excellent “How to give a great ignite talk” as well as the Tips page from Ignite Sidney.

And then do get started on your own talk and submit it for an Ignite event near you. You can always try to find more tips and hints, but do make sure you bridge that gap from wanting to give a talk to actually giving it.

Good luck, and have fun!

Whenever she “awards” a book with an orange or red light, she explains how she arrived at that verdict by pointing out such details as “promotes the use of magic”¹, “portrays homosexuality as normal,” or “presents evolution as fact.”

I whole-heartedly disagree with many, if not most, of her assessments. Nevertheless, I honestly think that she provides a useful service to her blog’s readers: if her reviews and warnings help these people select books that they will most likely enjoy reading, I’m all for it.

Obviously, in a free society, we have every right to avoid what we don’t like. What we, as members of such a free society, do not have, though, is the right to tell anyone what they must, or must not read. Unfortunately, though, not everyone shares this point of view.

The attempt of a few to tell the many what they can read

The American Library Association has more than 10,500 challenges on file, each of which is an “attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group.” The predominant reasons that were given: a book is “sexually explicit,” contains “offensive language,” and/or is “unsuited to any age group” [emphasis mine].

The ALA maintains a list of the most-challenged books for the current decade. On this list you can find such timeless masterpieces as Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men,” Salinger’s “Catcher in the Rye,” Huxley’s “Brave New World,” Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451,” and Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”

Although the ALA website states that “[b]ooks usually are challenged with the best intentions — to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information,” these challenges are based on the notion that because someone disapproves of the contents of a certain book — or any other expression of human creativity, for that matter –, they have the right to also limit other people’s access to it.

We need to tell these people that that is not the case. Regardless of what their motives are, and regardless of what specific content they find objectionable.

Anyone who makes something artistic, anything artistic, enjoys the right to freely speak his or her creative mind. In a similar manner, we all enjoy the right to freely decide whether we want to listen to what these creators have to say.

One of my favorite quotes regarding freedom of speech is this one by Rob Clark:

Freedom of speech is the only true guarantee for any other freedoms, so to an extent it is the one freedom by which the level of freedom of a society can be gauged. In a society without freedom of speech, they can tell you how free you are–you can’t tell them back.

It’s not just overly zealous governments who all-too-often try to take such freedoms away from us “for our own good.” It’s also overly zealous individuals and advocacy groups who think they need to protect us all from the darker side of the human condition as it may be expressed in art.

These people are most welcome to avoid anything they find offensive in any way. But it doesn’t — and mustn’t — go further than that.

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read

To raise awareness for these attempts at banning books, the American Library Association celebrates our freedom to read through an event called The Banned Books Week. If you want to support this important cause, check out their website at http://bannedbooksweek.org. And please do spread the word. Because that is your right!