SMS SOS

Just the other day a stranger appeared in my office door. He told me who had told him to come visit me and asked if I had a few minutes. As I reached to shake his hand I noticed the -around these parts- famous ring of his college alma mater. That made me wonder if, had I been lucky enough to graduate from college, would I still be wearing their ring? Probably stuffing small checks into their College Foundation envelopes, but wearing their ring?

The gentleman introduced himself further. PhD. Professional. Born and raised in the County, worked in the County most of his career. He wanted my political support.

"What's your email address?" I asked.
"I don't have one yet. I've never sent an email."
"So no website I assume?"
"Not yet, I need help with that."
"Can I send you my photo to put on 56572?"

I have noticed that although most Americans feel we live in the most modern and technologically advanced countries on the planet with every passing day we are passed by what we would consider developing countries.

How many of you have ever looked up information on you television by using teletext?
How many of you can define the acronym SMS? Have you ever sent or received one?

My monthly Sprint mobile phone billing has grown recently. Not due to excess minutes but by excess text messages. My plan needed to be adjusted. I called Sprint Customer Service and was connected with India. As I spoke I heard my echo half a world away. I was helped very efficiently by the female Sprint employee. Her Indian English accent was barely obvious. She almost had me fooled. She answered my questions and did what I asked of her. Why I had not been able to find those answers in the Sprint Website FAQ or make the adjustments needed by myself was bewildering.

My Indian exchange student daughter who recently finished her medical exams and hopes to soon be practising medicine in the United States of all places visited briefly this winter. I asked how outsourcing was changing India. I expected an economic answer. Instead she told me of how dangerous it is for women to get to their workplace safely. Most customer service phone banks were staffed at night to take daytime calls from North America. Female employees were being raped on their way to and from work.

The point of this rambling post is that what goes around comes around. North Americans calling customer service 800 numbers are trying hard to understand Indian English. Fifty years from now, when the Indians and the Chinese are the Superpowers and they call the 800 number to ask a question about the warranty on their hydrogen powered automobile, with whom will they be connected? Houston, Texas? Will people all trying to speak their version of English understand one another ?

When all else fails, SMS.

I hope the gentleman who graced my doorway a few weeks ago is listening. Young people find SMS to be their chat room on wheels. Those of us too old to even want to learn about SMS will vote for the incumbent anyway. Get a webpage (preferably that accepts credit cards), even a blog, get an email address, get an email and mobile phone directory of your supporters, encourage them to work for you, keep in touch with them using email and SMS.................even after you are elected.