# 37 (2013) Illusive Phone Numbers

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One of  the annoying things about living on a tight budget and not having a landline phone is how to deal with customer service call centres. I have a fixed price contract for my mobile phone and it does not allow for calls that cost me over and above my free monthly allocation.

And so overpriced 0800 numbers and their variations that keep you on hold can quickly cost a lot of money and are definitely over and above my budget. And I don't see why I should be forced to use them when there are cheaper options available.

Even more annoying is that some of them make their email addresses too illusive for you to find and use. Not only is email the cheapest way for me to communicate with these firms, it also gives me a written record of my conversations with them and therefore proof of whatever has been said.

It took me over an hour to find, in a roundabout way, an email address for Virgin to inform them I was terminating my contract in two months time. And in just over 24 hours they had replied so these addresses do work.

You can of course find the cheaper geographical landline numbers for many of these call centre numbers. Yes, they do exist. Websites like saynoto0870.com will help you find alternatives that are cheaper or will be free if you're on a mobile contract.

It's worth taking the time to find the alternatives. They could save you a lot of money in the long run.

# 36 (2013) Number One

Living in a society, within a community and within routine means you are expected to conform and invariably do. It's made me into a person I never wanted to be. The one that always puts other people first. When all I've ever wanted to do was put myself first but never had the balls to do it. The reason I am where I am now is because of putting other people first and never having the spine to be selfish.

I only have myself to blame.

I am very much in admiration of people who put themselves and their well being first. Because they are the ones who are honest to themselves and that's an important thing. Those of us who fit in, do what we are told and tow the line will invariably end up looking back on our lives wondering what went wrong or where the time went. I often wonder what I would be doing now if I'd just put myself first.

Of course, saying that is easy enough. But wasted time is just that. Changing the habits of a lifetime is something else. Do you make a conscious decision to start right there and then? Or do you use your next move as the chance to start again and let new people see the refined you?

I suppose the most courageous choice is to start right here and now. And so I've made the decision. Already it's getting results. And in many ways it's easier than meeting expectation. And sometimes it's just a bit fun too.

# 35 (2013) The Social Media Stalker

We are all aware that social media is a minefield of privacy issues and that to a degree everything is accessible. Or, at least, we should be.

Even when we know we have to 'friend' people on Facebook or we can monitor our followers on Twitter many of us do not check our privacy settings to be sure we're not getting unwanted attention from individuals or companies.

It also pays to be a bit savvy when you're running a business or making certain people or companies the subject of your blog posts or status updates. Because you never know when it might become an issue.

That employers will look for you on social media when you apply for a job is a fact. That your university may well be watching you years after you graduate is a fact. That an ex may be trolling your latest photographs is creepy but also a fact. But let's face it, these are not unexpected scenarios.

All social media platforms are able to give you some protection against unwanted stalkers but it's remarkable how many people do not use these settings to their full capacity. The number of times I have been able to view the Facebook profiles of people I am not friends with, is worrying.

Even Twitter has settings that allow you to get follower requests rather than letting anyone follow you. You can also restrict your Tweets to your approved followers only.

If you're running a blog or Facebook business page things are a little different. I try to keep business and personal profiles separate and I also try to operate a business minded policy when posting anything under my company name no matter how tempting it might be to slate a company who has wronged me or I think needs taking down a peg or two. It can be more difficult to restrict your followers and once it's in the public domain it's hard to retract a comment completely.

I am currently very tempted to write about a certain establishment which grates on me but I am in two minds about how to go about it in a professional way that means I can't be accused of targeting them. I believe that what I have to say has valid points for discussion and I don't want it to come across as a witch hunt.

Research your subject and try to leave your emotions to the side in these instances. Take a step back. An impulsive comment now could cost you dearly later on.

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