Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Golf Tango Golf

Last night, I told of this little blog being taken down by Google/Blogger after it was incorrectly flagged as a  splog.

I told how quickly Blogger began their research based on my appeal, and that they had it back up in a little over 6 hours.

But there's more.

Noah, from Blogger, emailed me today:
From: Noah XXXXXXXX
Subject: Wiskey Tango Foxtrot - Apologies from Blogger (and me).
Date: February 23, 2010 4:19:57 PM EST
To: Basil


Hi Basil,
I wanted to extend my sincere apology for the incorrect spam blocking of your blog. I'm an engineer on Blogger and take cases like this very seriously.

Yesterday I met with our anti-spam team to see what went wrong. In short, it was a combination of process and human error. We are taking steps to prevent such errors in the future.

I hope you will continue to use and enjoy Blogger. Feel free to contact me any time directly with any issues you have.

Thanks :)
Noah
Now, the fact that they got it back up so quickly (yes, 6-7 hours is quickly, based on what has to happen to undo a deleted blog), was good enough for me.

But Noah went above and beyond. He offered his apology (not necessary, but appreciated and accepted), and he explained the steps taken to identify the problem and prevent it from happening again (very much appreciated).

Working with Web servers and databases and such, I know that things happen. Often, it's an error in software (coding, in many cases), or in human action, that causes the problem. What makes it really difficult is that often people will cover up the error -- often corrected it on the fly without telling anyone -- so that they or their group doesn't look bad. And, with larger companies, the CYA factor is worse, and that makes it harder. I suspect it happens at Blogger and Google.

If I was handling it, I'd identify the problem, identify what caused it, and take steps to prevent it.

And that's exactly what Noah and Blogger is doing. They're doing it right.

Everything is now Golf Tango Golf. And I appreciate, not only the service I've received from Blogger over this, but the personal service and work ethic of people like Noah. He's what others should aspire to.

3 comments:

  1. I was afraid GTG stood for Got To Go.

    That is some good customer service.

    ReplyDelete
  2. In today's world, Noah is what's known as a Class Act. Good for him, and good for you too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Like others, I've done my share of ragging on Google. But the fact of the matter is, they've done a fantastic job. And this resolution of the issue is another example of good work. They are to be commended.

    ReplyDelete

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