Slashdot Mirror
One of the Worst Jobs in America: Responding To Irate Tweets From New York City Subway Riders (wsj.com)
Every day, the frustrations of New York City subway riders spew out in the form of 2,500 often profanity-laced tweets directed at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. From a report: "Thanks @MTA for making sure we can't buy metrocards AGAIN," wrote @itzMzLori, 31-year-old beauty blogger Lori Tenn, who found her card machine closed. "I swear I f-ing hate y'all." The job of taking this vitriol -- and offering measured responses -- falls to the social-media team behind @MTA and @NYCTSubway. The two Twitter accounts for the agency that manages the New York City subway, bus and commuter rail system have more than two million often angry followers. "We're New Yorkers, we have thick skins, but we're human," said Molly Washam, an even-keeled 30-year-old. "We do sometimes gather around the monitor to see the meanest thing someone could come up with that day."
To stay calm, she said she does yoga, and recently tried a pottery class. Rampant subway delays and breakdowns in recent years are making the work more intense. A 2017 report by the New York City comptroller found weekday subway delays rose 83% between 2013 and 2016. The agency has begun a modernization plan to make improvements, including upgrading the signaling system and hiring more subway workers. New Yorkers' response to repairs? "Really @MTA, More of your Bs complications," wrote @MattMercadoNYC, rider Matt Mercado, 34, of the Bronx. "You pick Thursday AND Friday for these 'Required Repairs'??!?" "We know they might not mean everything they're saying," said Sarah Meyer, the MTA's customer-service chief. But, "I can't personally change the signaling system."
To stay calm, she said she does yoga, and recently tried a pottery class. Rampant subway delays and breakdowns in recent years are making the work more intense. A 2017 report by the New York City comptroller found weekday subway delays rose 83% between 2013 and 2016. The agency has begun a modernization plan to make improvements, including upgrading the signaling system and hiring more subway workers. New Yorkers' response to repairs? "Really @MTA, More of your Bs complications," wrote @MattMercadoNYC, rider Matt Mercado, 34, of the Bronx. "You pick Thursday AND Friday for these 'Required Repairs'??!?" "We know they might not mean everything they're saying," said Sarah Meyer, the MTA's customer-service chief. But, "I can't personally change the signaling system."
Anyone who believes replying to tweets, no matter how mean, even cracks the list of top 1,000 worst jobs has probably never had a job period. This is what all public relations people do. I also notice there's no mention of their taxpayer funded salaries and benefits.
It may suck responding to them (a process that can likely be automated) but the feedback is important data points to analyze. The level of vitriol & number of complaints can help them figure out what problems need to be addressed.
Why even dignify any of it with a response. I suppose I can see Twitter being a reasonable platform for an agency to post announcements to so that the people who can't be assed to go to their website or read bulletins can get the information, but why bother to read anything someone tweets at them. That's just a waste of time.
Then what does that say about the millions of people who have to rely on the subway to get to their jobs?
agency maybe but City job where you can talk back to people. May one where it's very hard to fired and may even be union.
Not even close... how about?
(1) Train toilet cleaner
(2) Parking enforcer, where people curse you in person, not online
(3) Tech support rep
(4) Hoarder house cleaner
>>"We know they might not mean everything they're saying," said Sarah Meyer, the MTA's customer-service chief. But, "I can't personally change the signaling system."
This response from the MTA media chief defines what is wrong.
When an organization like MTA creates a social media team, they need to empower them and integrate them with senior management and decision makers. What good is getting feedback from your customers if the people getting the feedback are not tightly integrated with management to ensure a good feedback loop.
This isn't customer relations or even PR - its just creating a useless and pointless job. Customers might as well be tweeting to a wall.
Every few years one of these stories comes up and this by far is the easiest/tamest of the worst jobs. The worst of these is those that are paid to review questionable content. The highly violent, disturbing content. I remember reading here that these employees often had PTSD from all the content they were reviewing.
"Worst job". "Replying to Tweets".
Sheltered much ?
Try what these guys do : https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
"Not to mention all the idiots who use words like boxen."
Anonymous Coward on Monday August 04, @06:49PM
What plans are there to modernise the New York subway?
Travelling around the world I see some modern subway systems, either because the were recently implemented or they decided that they needed to modernise, or fall apart.
New Yorkâ(TM)s subway system feels outdated in many ways and the fact it manages to cope with so many travellers is impressive. The feeling I get of NYCâ(TM)s subway is one where they are so busy trying to prevent it falling apart that they canâ(TM)t even consider modernising, unless a new specific budget and city mandate comes it?
Does anyone know what is keeping the system in its current state?
Jumpstart the tartan drive.
If the job description doesn't include the words "pig shit lagoon" or "car accident victim," I'm pretty sure you can fuck off.
This is a job made for AI...
To stay calm, she said she does yoga, and recently tried a pottery class
And bicycles to work every day.
Ha. New York "overcrowded."
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_by_population_density
New York City is the most densely populated major city in the United States. And since we're here discussing a US city, here's the actual link that is relevant.
United_States_cities_by_population_density
Manhattan graduated from "overcrowded" to "supreme clusterfuck" about 20 years ago.
If you take New York City as a whole, no, because it is extremely large. If you look at what people commonly refer to as "New York" from outside of the city, that being just Manhattan, then yes, it would be ranked 6th on the list you provided. Plus consider that Central Park is ~5% of the land area as well, the rest of the area is actually denser taking this into consideration. So yes, it is quite over-crowded at its center.
@everyone: You don't like it? Fucking walk.
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
"We do sometimes gather around the monitor to see the meanest thing someone could come up with that day."
Challenge accepted! Get ready to cry...
Most of the people who let this happen (auto upgrade to Win10) are the same people who believe that MS is calling them about a virus on their computer.
It's a good reason to not move somewhere that you have to rely on public transportation. Especially if that locality thinks it's a good idea to pay someone to respond to tweets and give those people no power to fix whatever complaint they're responding to.
Delays are up 83%? No problem, we'll just respond to tweets instead of fixing whatever caused the delay in the first place.
If the locality can't maintain their public transport system better than that then it ought to be encouraging residents to buy their own private transport and avoid the public transport system.
Anyone who believes replying to tweets, no matter how mean, even cracks the list of top 1,000 worst jobs has probably never had a job period.
You know who has it even worse than whoever it is responding to these tweets? Every single person who has to actually USE the NYC subway daily. I visit from time to time, and the whole system is a mix of worn out cars, and the most horrible subway stations I have seen anywhere across the world. I feel really sorry for those poor bastards using any part of it to commute.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Nobody knows if you're a dog on the intertubes!
Or that I only drove through NYC once
Also, I don't know much about NYC except via novels, tv, web
Even LESS about MTA
Dog Nos they would be happier with a real dog
Since I ain't a dog, I just type as one every now and then.
Is this a great country or what?
Do:
* fix the problems which irritate;
DON'T:
* try to persuade them shitty service is OK.
Requiem for the American Dream
I got blocked by the dallas area rapid transit (dartmedia) twitter account for reporting a fist fight on the train. So I guess if nyc actually is responding that is a good thing.