I'm a spokesman for Sprint. This personal site is where I share news stories and my views about our company, our phones and other devices. I also write a bit about tech policy, the wireless industry and life in Washington, D.C.
To ensure that Sprint's lawyers continue to support employees' use of social media, please read the disclaimers on my "About this Posterous" page.
Clearly, I'm biased, but this series of ads is very compelling and well done. In just a few seconds, our ad team managed to squeeze in references to the Palm Pre, the Amazon Kindle (which runs on Sprint) and Sprint's new 4G service.
What's your take?
Wow. I wonder what Ms. Clyburn thinks of this.
Thanks for subscribing to my Posterous, following me on Twitter or asking to friend me on some other social network. I'm relatively new to social media. I first got started in 2008 on Twitter, but other sites soon followed.
Let me explain my approach to each site:
On Twitter
I use my Twitter account (@jbtaylor) to share information about my employer Sprint, the wireless business, tech and telecom public policy, politics, pop culture and Washington life. I also use it to listen to competitors, reporters, other PR people, politicians and watch live news unfold. I tweet a lot. (Tweetstats.com says I tweet about 10 times a day on average.)
Recently, I've been unfollowing folks who I've not been interacting with in a while, or who seem to have dropped off of Twitter. At first, I followed everyone who followed me, but honestly, it was too much to keep up with and I found I was missing information that I really wanted to see because it was lost in the Twitterstream. All of this is to say, if I don't follow you back, don't take it personally. (I don't expect you to follow me.)
But do know that I read every message sent to @jbtaylor and I try to respond to tweets I feel merit a response. In my responses, I try to remember that there are over 1,700 people who follow me for a reason -- I try to give them something useful and my response to your specific question won't always be viewed that way. (Instead you may want to send me an email to John.B.Taylor@Sprint.com)
If you're a Sprint customer, thank you for your business. Your best bet for customer service on Twitter is @SprintCare. That account is run by a team of folks who have the ability to access your account records and solve your problems. I don't have that access or expertise and I am not always able to respond quickly. To learn more about Sprint, you may want to follow @Sprint, @SprintNews or my "Now Network" Twitter list which is made of up my coworkers on Twitter.
On Posterous
This Posterous site is linked to my Twitter stream and I use it as an extension of Twitter. Consider this as my space to go beyond the 140 characters that Twitter allows. You'll find the posts here focus on the FCC, public policy and Sprint products and services. I appreciate your comments.
Please don't take my lack of response or slow response to your comments as a lack of interest or an unwillingness to engage with you. While I can't always respond to each one, I read them all and regularly share your feedback with the decisionmakers at Sprint. (Because my job has me focused on many other daily, time consuming tasks, I can't spend a lot of time managing this site or moderating comments.)
What I won't do is put up with abusive language or harrassment of any kind. Our customers are passionate about Sprint and we love that. But when I am simply communicating a decision made by the company, when you don't like it, don't expect me to put up with personal attacks. Telling me you think Sprint's decision is stupid is fine; telling me you think I'm stupid isn't something I am going to listen to -- even when it's true! ;-) (And if honestly, if I told you I thought you were stupid, would you want to hear it, even when you are?)
I also ask that you keep your comments germane to the topic of the post. If you're off topic, I won't approve your comment.
So that's pretty simple -- be polite and be germane and we'll get along just fine.
Please also keep in mind that this is not a Sprint-sponsored forum. If you're looking for such a forum to connect with other Sprint customers, my blog is probably not the best place for that. Sprint.com's community site is.
One last point on Posterous: I don't like their friending system at all. If I want to read your stuff, I will do so via RSS. If I don't subscribe to your Posterous site, don't read anything into that.
On Foursquare
I'm addicted to Foursquare -- it's a great way to discover new places to hang out. It's also a fun site where you can tease your friends. (I'm mayor and you're not!)
But because it discloses my location to the people I follow, I typically won't friend you unless I actually know you and have met you in person. I also tend to follow people who live in Washington like me. It's great that you went to some cool restaurant in Los Angeles. But since I get to L.A. about once every five years, that's not something I'm as interested in as the new place in my neighborhood. For me, this is just a much more personal site.
On LinkedIn
LinkedIn is also a personal site. I only add people to my network who I've actually worked with or know really well. Remember, people use this site to find a job. If someone asks me to recommend your work or your character, I can't do that unless we know each other well. I'm amazed at the number of people I get LinkedIn invitations from who I've never met in person. Don't embarrass yourself by doing that.
On YouTube
I am new to video and mostly I shoot video to supplement my blogging. I only generally only friend people on YouTube whom I've met in person, but most of my videos are public.
On Plancast
I use Plancast to find out about interesting conferences and other public events. If you'd like to network with me in person, this is a good place to find out what I am up to and where to meet me and introduce yourself.
On Sites Not Listed Here
I am active on a few other sites not listed here. If you want to connect with me on these sites, try the sites above first before asking about others. One thing is true about all social networks. If I don't accept your invitation to connect that doesn't mean I don't like you. It just means we are using these sites for different purposes and your purpose conflicts with mine. For example, some of my best friends won't follow me on Twitter because they could care less about Sprint and FCC actions. (That doesn't mean they aren't my friend. The same is true with me -- just because I don't follow you, doesn't mean I don't consider you a friend.)
Housekeeping Details
When I express opinions, remember they are mine and not Sprint's. Thanks for reading this far and for taking the time to understand my approach to social media.
John Taylor, June 2010
