For a while now I’ve ordered items from Avanti Sport which is a large online sporting goods retailer. Orders I’ve placed in the past have been shipped as confirmed and I haven’t had any trouble whatsoever. So when it was time for a new gym bag, since my heavily used one of 3 years was beyond mending, I ordered one from the site. To be honest, I didn’t really look at the specs, just the dimensions. That was a mistake. It proved to be one of those football players use with a hard bottom and spinning wheels. Not what I wanted, but my mistake. Still, I wanted to see if there were any option to return the bag. And there were plenty.

First I had a choice of returning the bag with a full refund or exchange it for another product (for both, items had to be in original package and unopened, which mine was). I choose the latter and picked another bag. The system immediately recognized that the newly picked bag was cheaper than the original one, so it gave me a choice to either order something else to make up the difference or have it reimbursed to my bank account. Again, the latter was my choice and then it was just a matter of picking the shipping method. I could either bring it to a Kiala point and shipping would be free, have it send to their postal adress and have a few euro of administration costs or have it send to their shipping address and have the shipping costs on me. Since the Kiala point was close by I opted for the first. I confirmed the new order and received an email confirming the exchange. I dropped the return parcel at the collection point, got a receipt with a tracking code and went home.

With the tracking code I could see the parcel had arrived at Avanti a few days later and that same day I received an email with the shipping tracking code of the new order and the amount difference was transferred to my bank account. Next day, new bag arrived.

As positive as I was about them before this, I noticed that I turned into an advocate for them, telling friends and family this story and how much I’m impressed with their service. Perfect example how a customer experience like this can create great word of mouth. I will surely order from them again.

As I have been doing for a couple of years now the new year for me means getting some perspective on the year before and identifying the things I want to focus on in the upcoming year.

Last year the 3 words I focussed on were: Social, Experiment and Execution. I have been fortunate to meet some new people through work and new activities. And although none of those new relationships have grown into the kind of friendships I have with some of my older friends they certainly have improved my life. Experimenting and execution have come together in my new online income experiment. The beauty is that some of these experiments have become lifestyle choices (such as the primal/paleo diet). I have to be honest and confess that in some areas execution still is a bit lacking, but overall there has been a significant improvement on that.

Now on to my 3 words for 2012!

Relationships

As was the case in 2011 I’m more open to meeting more people. But on top of that I want to spend more time with the people I love spending time with, whether those are new acquaintances or people I’ve known for years. I don’t feel I’m neglecting people, but I find that I love spending time or doing things with certain people. I want to make more time available for spending even more time with those people, while spending less time with people that feel like a psychological drain.

Health

I’ve been around the same weight for about 8 months now, which is about 10-12 kg away from my goal. So this should be the year that I reach the goal of my weight loss journey which has started a couple of years ago (yes, I was that overweight). In order to do that I will be focussing on being stricter on what I eat (read: more strict with Paleo) and increase the number of times a week I will Crossfit, something I started about 2 months ago, and keep on spinning. Crossfit is something I really like to do, despite the fact that my muscles have been extremely sore after every workout and I’ve been called crazy by a couple of my friends for even doing it. And since I hate people telling me I can’t do something without me even trying, it’s just a bit of extra motivation. It’s also about more than just the weight issue. I want to improve my overall health, cutting down on sick days and appointments to doctors and dentists, but also being more agile and flexible. This means I have to take (even) better care of my body (and all aspects of it) than I have been doing previous years.

Entrepreneurship

Although I consider myself to be far from an entrepreneur, I think the word represents what I will try to achieve in 2012. As part of ongoing experiment I think it’s important for me to learn what running an online business entails. It will certainly mean more learning but also testing what works and doesn’t work. I’ve started a blog a couple of months ago and the information I’m getting from running it has already helped me in understanding what it means to run a site where the ultimate goal is making money.

I’m looking forward to 2012. Beside my 3 words I’ve just started a new job which seems to be a challenging one and I’m looking forward what the year will bring. Hope it will be the same for you.

In todays internet world this kind of behavior happens more than you could imagine. People like Chris Brogan and Tim Ferriss have used their Twitter accounts to point out people who have used their work and claimed it as their own in products or blogs. So I was aware this kind of thing happened, but never saw it up close. Until recently.

As I’ve mentioned before one of the people I follow on Twitter is Aaron Lee. Besides being a solid resource for social media news and information, he’s just a great and approachable guy. We’ve been having short conversations for a while now so I wasn’t exactly surprised when I saw (at least I thought) one of his tweets mention me. However, it was one that he send me a couple of days earlier. I hadn’t really paid attention to the Twitter handle because I recognized him from his picture, but then I saw that another name was mentioned. Since his name has become somewhat of a brand I found it strange that he would change it. So I took a look at the profile that send the tweet and I was stunned about what I saw.

Here was a profile with Aaron’s picture, his description and look and feel. It was the same but for a different name and (at that time) 3 tweets. I DM-ed Aaron to ask if he had seen it, but he was as surprised as I was and decided to take action against this. Luckily Twitter has a procedure in place for this kind of thing. In other instances you might not be so lucky.

When somebody copies your work on the web, there’s not much you can do. Of course you can go the legal way and send a seize and desist letter, but if they refuse and they’re in another country your options are limited. Because of this it’s easy for scammers to do this and ride the success of others.

I never understood why you would want to make money by copying what others have created. If you want to make money on the web there are numerous ways, but I’m guessing some just want to take the easy route. And it’s a shame there’s not much that can be done about it.

As part of my experiment in generating online income I’ve been starting up another blog and have been writing for that. The blog has been launched on November 1st (yes, 3 months later than expected due to some issues) and since then it has published 7 posts. Not a whole lot you would say, but I’ve also had to create an about page, a disclaimer, a privacy statement, a disclosure and other pages. I’ve also written some drafts for upcoming posts.

Furthermore I’ve been going back to something I did a while ago and that’s creating Squidoo lenses. I came back to them in order to create some backlinks to the new blog, but I had some ideas for some new stuff and started to create new lenses. I still have some ideas for some other ones so I set myself a goal to get to at least 20 lenses, with 50 being a long term goal. With 50 lenses and some good content I believe this can also become an online revenue generator, albeit not a big one.

So yes, I’ve been busy writing, but because that writing has taken up most of my time I haven’t been coming back to where my online writing has started: this blog. So see this post for what it is: not as an excuse to why I haven’t been writing here for a while, but a simple update on the experiment I’m running.

I think the overall quality of the writing I’ve done so far is good and could be of value to my readers. But I’m lacking in both execution and knowledge when it comes to other subjects:

• SEO: or Search Engine Optimization. Since I’m using WordPress with a theme that has SEO build in, my on-site optimization is pretty good, but far from perfect. I also have to make sure that my content is optimal for both search engines and humans. Off site optimization is non-existent, except for some incoming links I’ve put up. I have a general understanding of the concept now and are applying some of its rules, but that needs to be better.
• Social Media Strategy: I’ve already have some strategy in place with an accompanying Twitter account to the blog, where, besides the posts on the blog, I share things related to its subject. This needs to be build upon further and I especially have to make sure that I use the different channels to their strength.
• Marketing/Promotion: when it comes to marketing/promoting the site there’s still a lot of work to do. Partly this is because I want to make sure that before I start with this I have quality content already up and partly because I still need to learn how to do this effectively.

There’s still a steep learning curve for me here and I know that. I’ve started to learn SEO now and will move to social media strategy after that. Marketing and promotion will be last on the list. I’ve chosen this order because I think it’s the order of most importance.

Since I want this experiment to work, I really don’t mind going about this. I have to admit it’s a bigger challenge then I first anticipated, but that makes it worth while.

Reason for contacting KPN in the first place was the fact that I had to arrange a new mobile contract for a new account manager at my job. So, after comparing the offerings of the 3 largest mobile providers, I decided to go with KPN. The ordering side was pretty straight forward: go to the site, create an account (email received with account details), log in, place the order. After that I received an email with the order confirmation and a mention that we would be contacted by a courier to make an appointment for delivery of the phone. Within 2 hours we were called and delivery was scheduled for next day between 9 and 11 in the morning and received a confirmation of this by email as well. Next day, at 9:45 the phone was delivered. We received a confirmation mail of this as well. So far so good.

I opened the box, took out the packaging with the phone and the sim card. Also enclosed were a packing slip and a summary of the mobile plan. Nowhere was the phone number mentioned. Before I called support I rechecked the contents of the box and the emails I received. No mention of the number whatsoever. So that’s when I made the call and got that reply I mentioned above. He did also say that maybe because of the fact that the contract would be activated at the end of the month (our choice) I would receive an email when the number was activated. That might have the number on it.

So in summery: they send you an email with the details of your account, they send you an email to confirm the order. They send you an email to confirm date and time of delivery. They send you an email when it’s delivered. But they “might” send you an email when it’s activated which “may” hold the information of your phone number. Why would you gaff on the last step of the process? I cannot believe that a company like KPN isn’t capable of doing this right. What first started as a positive experience with a company I haven’t had many dealings with before, now left me with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.

I think this is a great example of how a company could improve greatly on their communication to their customers by just adding/sending one small, extra (essential) piece of information. KPN isn’t the only company I’ve dealt with that has this problem, but it’s the most recent one I came across. Customers shouldn’t have to contact a company to receive essential information. They should get it automatically.

Besides having a great holiday in september, I also did a small experiment: I asked for what I wanted. Whether it’s about some extra perks you can get in the hotel/hostel you’re staying, a more personalized dish in a restaurant or better seats on a flight. There are a lot of possibilities out there which are not willingly advertised, but are feasible nevertheless. And all you have to do is just ask.

It’s also a trick of wording your question just right. When booking a rafting trip I thought the price was a bit high. So I asked him if any type of discount was available. When the answer to that was no, I asked if there were any combination trips available which would lower my price. When it turned out that I could also book a personal driver for a day there, which would help me get from Sanur to Ubud AND look at some sights along the way, which would half the price of the rafting and get a 25% discount on the ride I booked immediately.

I did have one rule though: when the definite answer was no, I didn’t push further. I hate it when people nag about something not being possible (especially when you notice the person you ask is trying to help but just can’t) so it would be wrong for me to do it myself. When something just wasn’t possible I thanked them for trying and let it go.

Asking for what you want is a bit of a trick and for me a change in mindset. You often think that when it’s not advertised it’s not possible, but that proved to be a wrong assumption in some cases. As said, the wording of the question is important and if you do it right the benefits can be great. I know it helped me enjoy my holiday more than I already did.

The people are extremely friendly. In large part this has to do with their religious beliefs and search for good karma. Staff will go out of their way to help you with any inquiry or wish you might have and even people who don’t want to sell you anything will go the extra mile. I’ve heard numerous stories from other travelers of locals who will bring you to the place you want to go when you’re lost without wanting something in return or point you where to go when you make a mistake in traffic (side note: the traffic rules seem to be something of a suggestion as well there; just stay on the left, honk your horn alot and all will be good). It’s quite a change to the sometimes unwillingness of people in my knack of the woods.

The food is in one word: delicious. I’ve known Indonesian cuisine for some time now due to the large amount of Indonesian restaurants we have in Holland, but no matter how good it gets here, there’s no substitute for the real thing. Whether it’s going to a small warung (my prefered choice) in the countryside or a local restaurant the food is going to be fresh, (if you want it) spicy and delightfull. I especially liked the Padang kitchen, bbq-ed prawns and the Balinese roast pork.

Nature has gone all out on Bali with luscious green hills and forests. Then there are the rice fields that seem to be going on for miles and miles. With the beaches, lakes and vulcanoes Bali has some magnificent sights. Cities and villages however are another story. Because there’s no real waste disposal system in progress on the island, people just throw it out on the side of the road, often setting it on fire. With the ever growing consumption of plastic, this is very harmful to the environment. Hopefully the government will see this and will provide a service soon before the island has turned into a garbage dump. It’s nowhere near as bad yet fortunately, but a solution must arise sooner than later.

Locals have turned to tourism for jobs and this leaves the local farming community in dire need for workers. The Balinese youth have realized that working in tourism isn’t as hard as working in the fields so aren’t willing to do so. Since the local farms provide for the food on Bali there’s a chance that in the future they will no longer be able to provide the necessary goods and food will have to be imported. This of course will mean a rise in prices and according to some locals I’ve talked to inflation already was high. Luckily some NGO’s out there are promoting local farming and are trying to deal with the situation.

Tourism also has caused the introduction of multinational chains to open up branches on the island. You can get all the fast food you want, especially in the larger cities, but I often wonder why you would do such a thing. As said above, I loved the food, but besides that, for me the beauty of travel is meeting locals, see their customs and try their food. I could have fast food every day of the year when I’m not on holiday if I wished, so why would I do so on holiday? Really baffles me to see people who do.

The overall sentiment on the island can be described as easy-going. Locals are sitting around a lot, talking with each other. Time of appointments are more a suggestions (it’s a courtesy to be late) and locals seem to have all the time in the world with their motto of “Sin Ken Ken” (roughly translated: no worries) . This of course leads to a relaxed atmosphere which makes vacationing there easy. It’s a breath of fresh air compared to the fast-moving western world.

I’ve had a great time in Bali and enjoyed my time there immensely. As stated the people are friendly, the sights beautiful and the food mouth watering. As my first impression of Asia, I couldn’t have gone to a better place.

If you want to get an impression of the island you can take a look at my holiday pictures.

First of all, rates for hotels/hostels/B&B’s are down from peak season. Since they’re trying to fill their rooms, their are some real bargains to get. As an example, for my upcoming trip the places I will stay are around 50% cheaper than during peak season. Same goes for air tickets.

Secondly, because I travel just outside of peak season, it’s not as busy at touristic sites (if you would be inclined to go there). Sure, there are still people around, but it’s not standing-in-line-and-hope-you-get-more-than-a-few-seconds-to-look-busy.

Third, because more than half of the country is out on holiday during july/august, work isn’t as busy as normal and you can “ease” into your holiday.

And last but not least, there’s a bit of (maybe sadistic?) joy in reminding your colleagues that your holiday is still coming up while theirs is still a year away.

On Twitter I follow a guy named Aaron Lee. He’s in his early twenties and links and writes about all things social media. As a favor to someone he send out this tweet regarding a girl who looked for a guy named Paul from Liverpool she met at a festival. My reply, without stating it in order to get a laugh, referred to Paul McCartney of the Beatles. Aaron’s reply clearly stated he didn’t get the joke. And I thought the Beatles and their members where known all over the world!

And there have been many other examples where, for fun, I referenced an older catchphrase (for instance this one) from older series or movies or just a thing that was part of popular culture at one point during my life and people don’t get it.

This all could be that it’s not about me getting too old or my references being out of date, but the fact that I’m just not funny. Luckily I still get a laugh with these things from friends my age.