A long time ago in a series of tubes far, far away…
I signed into a website called: Geezeo
Today, I’m featured on their blog as a “Super User”! (insert super hero music here) Dun dun dun!!!
I’m posting the interview after the jump for historical purposed but you can click on over to their site to read the full on details by way of this happy go lucky link: we heart Gary Ploski
If you’re a Geezeo user, you probably know Gary Ploski. Maybe you’ve talked with him or seen his image (is that a plant or a puppet?) in Money Confessions.
Recently we realized how much Gary uses Geezeo. How much? Well, let’s just say we’re wondering if he doesn’t secretly work here. We luv ya, Gary! So… who is Gary?
Gary, you’re one of Geezeo’s super-users — I think you’ve logged in more times than some of us who work here! How did you find Geezeo?
Whoa! Seriously?! I know I log-on often but that often? If I had a nickel for every time I logged on are you saying I’d be a hundredaire?! What can I say, I was raised by a great mom that worked as a book keeper for years and I’m an instructional technologist which means I’m online all the time. So… Yea… That might explain it.
I have ‘The Consumerist’ to thank. I think it was this post in fact: link. To be perfectly frank, the reason why I tried Geezeo is because of the integrated API for GMail account log-on. Chalk that one up to sheer laziness. I wasn’t looking for another social network but wanted to check out one of the two sites linked.
What keeps you coming back?
Updates. Why does someone visit the same pages everyday? Updates! Nearly every and any purchase made by me or my wife is put on a credit card, so I want to ensure that every transaction is correct. Happily I’ve only found less than a handful of incorrect charges since I began using a credit card. Another thing, it’s much easier to verify that each charge is correct if I see it posted after a day or two instead of after 20 days or more.
What are your favorite feature(s)? How do they help you manage your money?
In their simplicity, I find the ‘My Accounts’ and ‘My Funds’ sections to be extremely helpful. In the past it was easy to keep tabs on my finances because it was all mine and I kept an eye on my all accounts. Things are not that straight forward anymore. Marriage changed things a bit so I had to learn a new way of managing those pesky monthly bills.
‘My Funds’ has helped me to aim for a $0 balance in my Total Debt! Ha ha ha. Laugh all you like but there is something to say about seeing a $0 balance next to the word debt even if only for one day. It’s a great pick me up. While I don’t get excited to ‘pay the bills’ it is fantastic to see a big ‘ol zero the next day in the debt column. It’s the little things that make me smile.
What Geezeo Groups or Goals do you participate in?
I’m in a few Groups and have set up a few goals. Here’s the brief:
* Geezeo Live Chat
* Geezeo Feature Requests
* Money Magazine looking for users to share experience
* Pay Down That Mortgage
* Penny pinching to early retirement!
* Credit Card Rewards
* Greentrees
The Group conversations haven’t been all I’d hoped but I did have the chance to discuss some original money saving ideas. The community has proven it has a phenomenal voice in the Confession room though. Wow!
I’m only beginning to play with Goals. Why? The primary focus for the past 6+ months has been the last of the three goals noted below. As of this month (January) that goal is complete! It felt to good to confess it and then see ‘complete’ next to the goal on the Dashboard.
* 3-month Cushion
* Build Savings Account
* Pay off PMI
Have you always been interested in personal finance?
In a way. As I mentioned earlier my mom was a book keeper and taught me a thing or two. A friend turned me onto Roth IRAs in my mid-twenties. While living in Japan, in ‘98, I was introduced to electronic banking via an ATM. It boggled my mind why the same features weren’t available in the US. Bank to bank transfers at the ATM… Bill payments at convenience stores? It seemed so easy. Oh wait, it was that easy. I didn’t understand why it wasn’t the same way in the USA.
Upon my return to the USA, People’s United Bank (then People’s Bank) introduced me to online money management in the US. Since that day I’ve done everything possible to consolidate my personal finances. Today 95+% of my transactions take place with a credit card. At the end of the year I can see quickly where money was spent thanks to year end summaries. They are amazing but have proven to be most beneficial, to me, when the vast majority of transactions are not cash based.
Where do you live? Do you have a family or any pets?
I live in Bronxville, NY (about 30 min from mid-town Manhattan by train) in a co-op with my wife, Ali, and our two kittens (Cthulhu and Magneto). Come this May I will graduate with my MFA degree in Theatre (acting) and Ali will graduate in May 2009 with her MFA degree in Writing (fiction); yea, we’re both on the busy side of the coin with work and school.
How are we both working and working on our MFAs? Thank goodness for academic benefits! A tip to those interested in getting a degree and are willing to take it a bit at a time… Work for a college/university.
What would be the coolest thing we should build to help you even more?
Since day one on Geezeo I’ve been craving for a secure RSS feed of transactions. Oh joy of joys.
Any objection if we call our next feature the “Gary Ploski
Objection?! I’d be honored! Ha ha ha. The G’Pheed. Geezeo and lil ol me. =D Seriously though, it’s been a blast working with the crew at Geezeo and I have recommended to friends and co-workers. If you something was named after me I’d have to add it to one of the coolest things to happen to me on the Internet. And I’ve been on the interweb since 1997.
Thanks, Gary! It was great to get to know you better. Thanks for being a “Super User” — watch for that next feature roll-out.
If you’d like to learn more about Gary, you can visit him at his blog. If you’d like to ratchet up your log in numbers to reach “Super User” status, register or login. See you inside!