Tech Support Comedy
Encyclopedia
Tech Support Comedy, or TSC, is a website dedicated to frustrated tech support workers from all over the world and the customers they deal with constantly. It was created by member Hawk, an ex-Tech Support worker, in March 2000, originally as a web comic, but quickly grew into a bulletin board for reader submissions, and soon added the ability for members to comment on the submissions. Since then, the site has grown in both membership and content daily, with over 9,000 members and more than 60,000 story submissions. To date, TSC is the largest online community of IT workers found anywhere on the web.
Submissions to TSC include Tech Stories, Customer Misconceptions, Tech Support Rules, Customer Types, Co-worker Types, Customer E-mails, End User Phrase of the Day (or "EUPOTD"), Tech Songs, Cool Links, SoapBox, and finally Tech Calls, where actual calls to tech support can be heard. Also, an IRC chatroom exists: channel [irc://irc.nightstar.net:6666/#TSC #TSC] on the Nightstar IRC network. Membership in the IRC channel is open to all; it is not restricted to members of the site.
Access to most TSC content is unrestricted. Everyone may view it, but only members may add comments, or submit content. What you can submit, and how you can submit it is determined by your level of membership, which is separated into two levels. These levels are Regular Membership (a free membership), and Star Membership (given to members who have made a monetary donation to the site). While all members may post stories, tech support rules, customer misconceptions, customer and co-worker types, e-mails, EUPOTD's (End User Phrase of the Day), and cool links (see below for further details on each type) only Star Members may use HTML
formatting when doing so. Star members also gain the ability to post Tech Songs, full access to the complete archive of Tech Calls and ability to post to the SoapBox, a specific area on the main page that everyone can see.
Also, Star Members' nicknames are preceded by a small yellow star icon.
One-year Star Memberships are granted to members who give a monetary
donation to the site. These donations help to maintain the site. After a year has passed, a Star Member reverts to a Regular Membership. There are two levels of Star Memberships:
However, the T-shirt option has recently been temporarily suspended.
addresses or other identifying information on the posting to something generic. This is done to guard the privacy of those concerned in the post. For example, techs that post to TSC often change their own names to their usernames, replace the name of other parties to starfish, or EU, and obliterate the e-mail address and/or phone numbers to something that deliberately leads nowhere. Place of employment is often purposefully omitted or otherwise altered into something very basic and unidentifiable, since a number of companies frown upon any discussion of internal events, and doing so can potentially result in disciplinary action should the company discover and identify the person making the post.
request. These requests provide a show of support and solidarity for fellow techs, since at other times, that tech may have given karma to another in a previous request that was made. Often each person has their own unique way of providing karma, and can also provide any advice or assistance as requested/needed. Not only does it show the aforementioned support, but it can also help serve to cheer up the tech who posted the request, since the karma delivery can often be done in a very humorous way. Traditionally, after the trouble passes, the tech makes a follow-up post, thanks all who helped, and symbolically returns any unused karma.
Submissions to TSC include Tech Stories, Customer Misconceptions, Tech Support Rules, Customer Types, Co-worker Types, Customer E-mails, End User Phrase of the Day (or "EUPOTD"), Tech Songs, Cool Links, SoapBox, and finally Tech Calls, where actual calls to tech support can be heard. Also, an IRC chatroom exists: channel [irc://irc.nightstar.net:6666/#TSC #TSC] on the Nightstar IRC network. Membership in the IRC channel is open to all; it is not restricted to members of the site.
Access to most TSC content is unrestricted. Everyone may view it, but only members may add comments, or submit content. What you can submit, and how you can submit it is determined by your level of membership, which is separated into two levels. These levels are Regular Membership (a free membership), and Star Membership (given to members who have made a monetary donation to the site). While all members may post stories, tech support rules, customer misconceptions, customer and co-worker types, e-mails, EUPOTD's (End User Phrase of the Day), and cool links (see below for further details on each type) only Star Members may use HTML
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
formatting when doing so. Star members also gain the ability to post Tech Songs, full access to the complete archive of Tech Calls and ability to post to the SoapBox, a specific area on the main page that everyone can see.
Star members
Star Members have special privileges:- Ability to
- Post to the SoapBox
- Post Tech Songs
- Post a Cool Link of the Day
- Include a signature in each post
- Use HTML code in posts
- Access to
- Full Tech Calls archive
Also, Star Members' nicknames are preceded by a small yellow star icon.
One-year Star Memberships are granted to members who give a monetary
Money
Money is any object or record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, occasionally in the past,...
donation to the site. These donations help to maintain the site. After a year has passed, a Star Member reverts to a Regular Membership. There are two levels of Star Memberships:
- USD$20
- Includes all Star Member benefits
- USD$35
- Includes all Star Member benefits
- Includes most recent TSC Star Member T-shirtT-shirtA T-shirt is a style of shirt. A T-shirt is buttonless and collarless, with short sleeves and frequently a round neck line....
However, the T-shirt option has recently been temporarily suspended.
TSC Community
Tech Support Comedy members pride themselves on being a strong, close knit community. To this end, they have not only provided tech support to each other, but also emotional support when needed (see karma request section below), whether through submissions, comments, the TSC Forum, chat rooms, or even real world meetings, including group "BBQ's".Privacy on TSC
When users submit anything to TSC, they make it a point to alter any names, e-mailEmail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
addresses or other identifying information on the posting to something generic. This is done to guard the privacy of those concerned in the post. For example, techs that post to TSC often change their own names to their usernames, replace the name of other parties to starfish, or EU, and obliterate the e-mail address and/or phone numbers to something that deliberately leads nowhere. Place of employment is often purposefully omitted or otherwise altered into something very basic and unidentifiable, since a number of companies frown upon any discussion of internal events, and doing so can potentially result in disciplinary action should the company discover and identify the person making the post.
Karma Requests
Occasionally, a tech may be going through difficulties in their life or job in one form or another, and put in a karmaKarma
Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....
request. These requests provide a show of support and solidarity for fellow techs, since at other times, that tech may have given karma to another in a previous request that was made. Often each person has their own unique way of providing karma, and can also provide any advice or assistance as requested/needed. Not only does it show the aforementioned support, but it can also help serve to cheer up the tech who posted the request, since the karma delivery can often be done in a very humorous way. Traditionally, after the trouble passes, the tech makes a follow-up post, thanks all who helped, and symbolically returns any unused karma.