So I really tried to screen out enough calls this week but I just don’t have enough to work with.  Here is why…

• Many calls this week were unusable for audio reasons alone, everything from lots of static to sounding like people were inside a giant fish tank to lots of cutting in and out.

• Quite a few calls never got around to the actual question.  A few people even called in multiple times on the same issue, and after 6-7 minutes I still didn’t know what your question actually was.

• Several calls were, here is my comment or question but please don’t play it on the air, guys I am sorry but that is what the think line is for.

• Due to optimism about the call volume I deleted everything older then 30 days about a month ago, so that one is on me, I should have archived these calls in outlook not deleted them.

We did have a few good calls and a few good ones responded to by the expert council but not enough for a full show.  This spells opportunity to get your questions answered.  If I get enough good calls over the weekend I will do a call in show both Monday and Friday next week.

Here is the formula for making a good usable call…

1. Get to a relatively quite location.
2. Try not to call from a moving vehicle.  Unlike when you are talking to a friend there is no one to say, you are breaking up.
3. Make sure if you use a cell phone you have a few bars.
4. Ask your question first, at once, immediately before even saying thanks for the show or anything at all.  What happens is people start with details or what have you and get side tracked, two minutes into the call I still don’t have any real idea about the meat of the question.  I can’t use such calls, I want to help but I also have an audience who is listening, if you go on for 2-3 minutes without making a point, you get deleted.
5. Comments are welcome but make them up front, just like a question.
6. Please don’t call and ask me to do a show about ________.  The think line is for use for on air content.  I can’t answer a question that is asking for an entire show.  I welcome your show suggestions, just email them to me.

Please understand I am not picking on anyone here.  You may have made a call this week that was great or just got a bad connection and were unaware of it.  There were a ton of bad audio calls this week, way more than normal, perhaps weather played a part in it.

That said we will have a show today, it will be out soon and it will be cool because for part of it we will have an interview with Geoff Lawton.  Again please call in your questions for next week over the next day or two and if I can get a good handful I will do a show on Monday answering calls.

A final note, try this guys, write down your question or comment.  No details just the blunt question.  Then put in some notes of your details then call.  It will help you a lot.  I want to say talking to an inanimate machine isn’t easy, it isn’t normal for questions like this.  I am again not picking on anyone, just trying to help you help me help you.