1)Consider the relationship. Under what conditions would you work with this company? ($, notice, regard, etc.) 2) Write a letter to her (cc:'ing her boss) recapping the events, and offering this relationship.
WARNING: Spell check any quotes that you might use below:
First, quickly recap the events.
To tell them that they should not expect free work, say: "As a rule I normally I do not perform work probono, but your call to me conveyed the enormity of your problem."
To further approach the subject of the relationship:"In your initial call and while I solved the problem for you we focused solely on getting your environment running again. Now that the emergency is over we need to establish a protocol for my future engagement, as I can't promise my availability otherwise. I was happy to help you once for this emergency, and a formal agreement between us will allow me to assist in the future." (anyone got a less verbose way of saying this?)
To convey that she didn't thank you, be proffessional and assume that she wanted to, but didn't have a chance. Say something like "You haven't had an opportunity to convey your thanks for my help, but I'm confident that getting the network functioning again was appreciated. I was happy to help, and look forward to establishing a formal protocol for our future relationship."
You might also say (non-condiscendingly) "There is evidence that the network would benefit from some proactive administrative tasks. Please contact me for more information retaining my services to perform these tasks." (Have a list of tasks ready that would prevent the emergency in the future. Also do a google search for a consultant contract and have that ready for them.)
IMHO: If you speak to her as if you are a professional who deserves (and receives from others) professional regard, this will improve your relationship with her (and this company). If she is not willing to approach you professionally then calmly and kindly inform her that she will have to go elsewhere for help. Spend time earning this higher regard by researching and preparing your proactive tasks.
Also, make sure to copy her boss on this! If she is angered by this, she is not someone that you should have to work with in the future anyway.
The guy who played Baron Vladimir Harkonnen was the perfect fit (for the part, not for his pantsuit;o). What convincing acting though.
"They'll know...THEY'LL KNOW!..." (remember that line?)
To me, the idea that appealed to me the *most* was tossing the idea of management of file by organizing them into folders. Don't get me wrong, I am most comfortable w/ a *nix prompt-line for administration and most of development(showing my age), but folders for managment of e-mail and documents is arcane.
If you don't think so, check out the whitepaper on utilizing lifestreams at "http://www.acm.org/sigchi/chi96/proceedings/video s/Fertig/etf.htm"
Truthfully, I had to consider this for a period to get over my file/folder bias. Read this doc and ponder. (Even better, imagine it with MySQL instead of MSAccess server)
Agreed!
Give me a 'timestream' view served up by MySQL and viewable by anything other than IE on a desktop and I'll buy.
I sat through a demo a few months ago and was impressed by his patented view of artifacts (doc, e-mail, links) in a 'timestream' view, but was dissapointed when I asked if there were plans to develop for MySQL and any other PC browser than IE. That is the breakthrough needed.
Does anyone from Scopeware have any insight into if and when porting to MySQL and non-IE browsers for PC will happen?
Until it does it *will only* be a novel artifact management system to use in addition to your desktop and all of your MSApps, not a total OS replacement.
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1)Consider the relationship. Under what conditions would you work with this company? ($, notice, regard, etc.)
2) Write a letter to her (cc:'ing her boss) recapping the events, and offering this relationship.
WARNING: Spell check any quotes that you might use below:
First, quickly recap the events.
To tell them that they should not expect free work, say: "As a rule I normally I do not perform work probono, but your call to me conveyed the enormity of your problem."
To further approach the subject of the relationship:"In your initial call and while I solved the problem for you we focused solely on getting your environment running again. Now that the emergency is over we need to establish a protocol for my future engagement, as I can't promise my availability otherwise. I was happy to help you once for this emergency, and a formal agreement between us will allow me to assist in the future." (anyone got a less verbose way of saying this?)
To convey that she didn't thank you, be proffessional and assume that she wanted to, but didn't have a chance. Say something like "You haven't had an opportunity to convey your thanks for my help, but I'm confident that getting the network functioning again was appreciated. I was happy to help, and look forward to establishing a formal protocol for our future relationship."
You might also say (non-condiscendingly) "There is evidence that the network would benefit from some proactive administrative tasks. Please contact me for more information retaining my services to perform these tasks." (Have a list of tasks ready that would prevent the emergency in the future. Also do a google search for a consultant contract and have that ready for them.)
IMHO: If you speak to her as if you are a professional who deserves (and receives from others) professional regard, this will improve your relationship with her (and this company). If she is not willing to approach you professionally then calmly and kindly inform her that she will have to go elsewhere for help. Spend time earning this higher regard by researching and preparing your proactive tasks.
Also, make sure to copy her boss on this! If she is angered by this, she is not someone that you should have to work with in the future anyway.
The guy who played Baron Vladimir Harkonnen was the perfect fit (for the part, not for his pantsuit ;o). What convincing acting though.
"They'll know...THEY'LL KNOW!..." (remember that line?)
To me, the idea that appealed to me the *most* was tossing the idea of management of file by organizing them into folders. Don't get me wrong, I am most comfortable w/ a *nix prompt-line for administration and most of development(showing my age), but folders for managment of e-mail and documents is arcane.
o s/Fertig/etf.htm"
If you don't think so, check out the whitepaper on utilizing lifestreams at "http://www.acm.org/sigchi/chi96/proceedings/vide
Truthfully, I had to consider this for a period to get over my file/folder bias. Read this doc and ponder. (Even better, imagine it with MySQL instead of MSAccess server)
Agreed!
Give me a 'timestream' view served up by MySQL and viewable by anything other than IE on a desktop and I'll buy.
I sat through a demo a few months ago and was impressed by his patented view of artifacts (doc, e-mail, links) in a 'timestream' view, but was dissapointed when I asked if there were plans to develop for MySQL and any other PC browser than IE. That is the breakthrough needed.
Does anyone from Scopeware have any insight into if and when porting to MySQL and non-IE browsers for PC will happen?
Until it does it *will only* be a novel artifact management system to use in addition to your desktop and all of your MSApps, not a total OS replacement.