My life has been changed by web 2.0. What started with signing up for Facebook has expanded to Twitter, TweetDeck and now to a blog.All these changes started me wondering about how computers became such an integral part of my life. As I thought back, my first memory of working with a computer was my Fisher Price Spelling Starter. I was five and it was my absolute favourite toy. There were nine different activities that taught me to spell and I spent thousands of hours learning.
After at least two years of near-constant use, it finally broke. My mom, being the type of person she is, wrote Fisher Price a letter, thanking them for making such a great toy. A few weeks later, a new Spelling Starter was sitting on my doorstep. No charge. Our warranty long expired. No questions asked.
These days, getting a replacement product from some companies is like pulling teeth. If something is one day past the warranty expiration date, good luck to you. Now that I am a PR student, I have a greater appreciation of how impressive what Fisher Price did for me is. Sure, it was extremely small-scale, but my mom told everyone she knew back then about it. Had it happened in the age of mommy-bloggers today, I am sure the results would have been very positive for the company. My point is, thanks to school and this experience, I've learned that there's always an opportunity to build goodwill with your public that can have long-lasting results.
Plus, it really was a cool toy.
Next time: My Centris 610.
To be fair, if Mama and Papa Starter were going to leave little Spelling on your doorstep like some kind of orphan, it would have been uncouth for them to ask money for the privilege.
ReplyDeleteHey Andrea,
ReplyDeleteI like how you linked your Spelling Starter to computers to PR. I think this kind of introspection is a great way to start a blog.
-Ashley