Scout Finch has been on the Twitter beat recently; I've decided to try para-twittering my phone banking experience here today, limiting myself to 140 characters per call, and posting it in time for people to join in themselves during the critical late-afternoon + early evening period. So this my @workbeatingjimmydisco channel, starting after the jump.
Call 1: Weird. Answering machine message cut off midway, then silence. Called back, busy. Waited, third call got through, left message.
Call 2: Unsure of how to pronounce last name, so left message for first name only. Message recording cut off after one minute! Unusual.
Call 3: An actual "no answer." Most times I click "no answer" I've left a message; I wish (again) one were allowed to distinguish them!
Call 4: A live person! "Will you support Murphy?" "I'm a Democrat." "Uh, so does that mean...?" "Yes, Murphy." (Whew!) "That's great!"
Call 5: Reached a business. (Home biz?) Man on message tape; woman on list. Left a jauntier than usual sounding message. (Tell your wife!)
Reset time!: Reached end of bank of 20 calls; assigned 20 more. End of last weekend, I was 2nd place, now I'm in 8th (but rising.) GREAT!
Call #?: Screen: "U skipped someone earlier." I didn't press right button? Left a "sorry if you already got this message, but..." message.
Call 6: Another message timed out after 1 minute! (Different tech in this area?) Did get the critical stuff in. Need to shorten message?
Call 7: Woman on answering machine tape had a great broad accent. Msg felt good. Give sibilant "s"s, hate saying "businesses" though.
Call 8: Remembering to add "I hope you have a nice Sunday" at the end of message. Pandering to the religious vote? Or just polite? ;7)
Call 9: Claimed I had wrong number. Maybe so; maybe hiding from someone? Asked for guy by formal first name; can be dead giveaway. Oh well.
Call 10: First Hispanic surname I think I've seen on my list. Rushed through end of msg to beat 1 minute limit; seemed OK.
Stopping now to do some work; will start again in 2 hours. 11 calls took 40 minutes including twittering & interruptions. Easy!
Totals: 11 calls, 8 msgs, 1 live "yes," 1 wrong #, 1 no answer. Now in 6th place; 5th far above me. OVERTAKE ME! Will update in comments.