Gandhi quote for employees of any entity—and forum hosts

[Ramón G Castañeda]

This is a genuine, well-known quote by Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian spiritual leader and activist:

• A customer is the most important visitor on our premises, he is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him.

• He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it.

• He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it.

• We are not doing him a favor by serving him.     He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so.

Employees of any entity, whether in government or in private business, will do well to keep it in mind and at heart.

The recent post by Kathy Nguyen, universally well received here, shows that she knows this principle and puts it into practice.

However, a few Adobe staff and associates seem somehow to think that Adobe's customers are lowly adversaries in some sort of Internet game or in a newsgroup.  Those who manifest that misguided and poisonous attitude in this forum and in their blogs are showing their incompetence and their ignorance of basic business principles.  To them I say:  you're dead wrong!  You are far from being our superiors, you are our servants.

They should know well who they are—and we certainly do.

[Claudio González]

I would like to reproduce here what I wrote in the 'What happened to the "Ghandi thread"?' thread, in an attempt to try to avoid that this one follows the same fate than the previous one...

3. May 10, 2009 4:24 PM in response to:                                     Buko.

Re: What happened to the "Ghandi thread"?

Buko. wrote:

I thought it was very relevant in light on the attitude of some of the hosts and Adobe employees. That's why it got pulled it made them look bad.

It certainly was, at the beginning. Unfortunately, it soon became infected by off topic and "witty" comments. Finally there was a long series of abusive and I would say even insulting posts by the same person (I would say they were more than eight). I was one of the few persons to protest for this, but I don't think that removing the whole thread was the best solution.

I would therefore like to request Ramón to start the thread all over again, and fellow users to make an effort to keep on topic. As I have already said at least twice elsewhere, this Discussions forum is looking too much like a twin of the darkest part of the Lounge. I, at least, don't think it should be allowed so much lattitude, although I agree in that some amount of humour may help to alleviate what I see as a growing state of unwanted and unneeded confrontation.

[Jeffrey_Smith]

Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit.

-- Mohandas Gandhi

[Harron_K_Appleman]

An interesting quotation. If nothing else, it shows that Gandhi was way ahead of his time as the prototypical offshore customer service representative.

[laziboi72]

here is another very good gandhi quote that is very related.

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

-Mahatma Gandhi

[Phos_four_dots]

Hmm...

How did "Laziboi" add a reply without causing the (Updated) text-flag to appear appended to the title in the thread index listing?

Will MY reply cause the text flag to appear?

Let's watch...

(Edit/Add: Nope. My reply didn't append (Updated) either.)

[Kath-H]

Did so!

[Phos_four_dots]

(Updated) test.

[laziboi72]

is it supposed to?

update test!

[Kath-H]

I saw 'Updated' for Lazy Boy

[Ramón G Castañeda]

The re-born Gandhi thread bites the dust again… 

[laziboi72]

bites what dust?

[Ramón G Castañeda]

Do not feed the troll.

[Guest]

Ramón G Castañeda wrote:

The re-born Gandhi thread bites the dust again… 

Yes, a bit cavalier to use a serious thread as a test bed! 

[Ramón G Castañeda]

JJ,

Your post and mine are not reflected on the index thread page, which still lists laziboi as the last poster in this thread.  There's definitely something going on with the thread.

EDIT:  This posts appears to have fixed that.

Message was edited by: Ramón G Castañeda

[Guest]

It's all very odd!

[laziboi72]

it is updating tho...

heres some more good gandhi quotes =0

[Claudio González]

laziboi72 wrote:

it is updating tho...

heres some more good gandhi quotes =0

Of course we all know that nobody reads post #1. Maybe this explais why this thread is being destroyed just as the previous one was. If I were willing to do a Google search, I could post hundreds of links to excellent quotes by hundreds of top level thinkers from all over the world, but bearing no relationship with the subject been discussed. Or, without Google, I could use this thread to perform hundreds of different tests. Both excellent ways to deviate the discussion from what the OP opened it for. Which he did at my request, and after a previous thread with the same subject and title had to be eliminated because of the repeated abusive interventions from a certain personage.

People who aren't able to concentrate on the the topic of a serious thread in a serious forum have an excellent way to express themselves in another forum, housed in the Photoshop forum. Here is one who doesn't welcome them here.

[Ramón G Castañeda]

Claudio González wrote:

laziboi72 wrote:

it is updating tho...

heres some more quotes

...this thread is being destroyed just as the previous one was.

By the same individual, no less, and for no good reason.   

[Ramón G Castañeda]

Phos±four dots wrote:

Hmm...

How did "Laziboi" add a reply without causing the (Updated) text-flag to appear appended to the title in the thread index listing?

Will MY reply cause the text flag to appear?

Let's watch...

(Edit/Add: Nope. My reply didn't append (Updated) either.)

Note that such erratic behavior often appears when a user or thread is being "moderated", which usually means someone has pushed the Report Abuse button on a post.

[laziboi72]

i was unware that sharing more gandhi quotes was part of a plan to destroy a forum?!?!

-puzzled at hostility 

[Claudio González]

laziboi72 wrote:

i was unware that sharing more gandhi quotes was part of a plan to destroy a forum?!?!

-puzzled at hostility 

I have read nothing in here about plans to destroy a forum. What I was talking about is how this particular thread is being destroyed by a flood of unrelated messages, same as the previous one was. Sharing Gandhi quotes is not and could not possibly be harmful by itself, but if it's contributing to take a thread more off topic all the time, it can be an effective way of helping to kill it. And if you don't know why the previous version of this thread came to be deleted, please read my message #1 above.

[Guest]

To put it words that you may understand: 

This thread is not about Gandhi – it is about the relationship between any organisation and its customers; in particular the relationship between Adobe Systems Incorporated and the thousands of users who are being treated so poorly by that organisation.

Anything outside the message of the original post is detracting from the intended purpose of the thread.

Again:

This thread is not about Gandhi – it is about the relationship between any organisation and its customers; in particular the relationship between Adobe Systems Incorporated and the thousands of users who are being treated so poorly by that organisation.

[laziboi72]

thank you for clearing that up for me in a nice way unlike other more hostile bloggers who might have simply attacked me for my niaveness (sp)

oh and to bring it back to topic:

recently i asked a question about downloading files from acrobat.com

and the assistant there was very helpful and even helped me access my files.

adobe assistants do a great job. 😃

[Claudio González]

laziboi72 wrote:

thank you for clearing that up for me in a nice way unlike other more hostile bloggers

Am I included in that "thank you"? I ask because I didn't intend to be hostile...