Broadband Portal Blindness -- Part II

from the they-can-get-it-themselves! dept

Back in March, when Comcast made some news for "upgrading" their broadband portal, we wondered whether or not people really cared about the portal their broadband service provider gave them. After all, the whole point of getting broadband is so that you can surf all over, and not just stay confined to the start page given to you by your provider. Obviously, plenty of folks who simply don't care one way or the other are happy to take what their provider gives them as a start page -- but, it still seems like it shouldn't be that big of a deal. Most people, once they become comfortable surfing the web can figure out what the best start page is for themselves -- and it doesn't have to have anything to do with their provider. However, with Verizon finally launching their Yahoo co-branded portal (which almost everyone in the press seems to forget they announced back in January), analysts are suddenly talking about how Yahoo has become the "special sauce" in the DSL equation... which is making folks wonder what those analysts are thinking. If anyone is choosing to go with Verizon or SBC just because of the Yahoo portal effort, then you have to wonder what they're thinking. Yahoo has been pretty good about offering the same stuff for free to anyone who wants it. The deal makes sense for SBC and Verizon in that if they must offer something, why not go with the most popular provider of portals in Yahoo -- but it's hard to see it as a secret sauce since anyone else can get the same thing for free, no matter who their provider is.
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  1. identicon
    acousticiris, 25 Aug 2005 @ 5:54pm

    Verizon should let its left hand know what it's ri

    Verizon is a collection of separate companies operating under one name. Nothing is more evident than the decisions made by Verizon DSL.
    This partnership with Yahoo! (from January as you mention) is being aimed at their DSL customers, so one would assume that if you're going to use Yahoo! for one data service, perhaps it would be a good idea to use Yahoo! for your other data services... not so. A visit to mobile.msn.com shows how the other side of the disconnected corporate empire believes that the MSN "portal" is the way to go. Verizon Wireless is wrapped right up in MSN. So Verizon DSL gets Yahoo, Verizon Wireless gets MSN, perhaps their Dialup plan should go Lycos, or... wait... who else is still fussing around in this whole "portal" market in the first place?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Anons Anonymous, 25 Aug 2005 @ 6:27pm

    Yahoo

    It seems that Yahoo gets terrific press reports.
    Even the blogistan pseudo-masses are unanimous: "Golly! Yahoo is soooo T-riffic! Oh, Boopsie-boop, boo-boop-tee-do."

    It's enough to make you sick to your stomach.
    (As well as wonder about the journalistic integrity of the "tech-media" itself.)

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    DGK12, 25 Aug 2005 @ 8:00pm

    Advertisement

    It sounds like a scheme to convince people to stick with their current start page. I happen to have Comcast service (which I wholly regret) and this is the first I've heard about it. They ritualistically force you to use a start-page you likely don't want, and people like me ritualistically change it back (assuming I let them touch my computer).
     
    They think of it -with some sort of pride- as if it were an advertisement, reminding people "you're relying on us" or possibly "we're the ones getting your checks". Either way I would prefer to forget whose getting my money, and get my service instead.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    thecaptain, 26 Aug 2005 @ 5:18am

    Re: Advertisement

    These companies seem obsessed with the stupidest things and its not just Verizon either.

    Our local ISP has a "start page/portal" and back in the day when you were NOT ALLOWED to install your own cable modem, it was interesting to watch the tech install my own.

    After the plugging in, the installation of the network card (never mind him not noticing I already had one in) He says:

    "Now we need to set up windows"

    He installs the drivers.

    "ok one last test"

    Fires up netscape (at the time) and tries 2-3 sites, without a problem...then goes to the portal and opens the menu to make it my start page (instead of my own custom links page I had).

    I stopped him: "What are you doing?"

    Him: "I need to do this so your internet works properly, otherwise it won't"

    I couldn't believe the stupidity. Took 45 mins arguing with him and his supervisor about this. Of course, I could have ignored it and changed it back, but it was the principle of the thing...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    bob, 26 Aug 2005 @ 9:10am

    Comcast has a portal?

    I've had comcast boradband fo ralmost three years now and I've never used their portal once. I've never even used my @comcast email address.
    ISPs need to stop being some kind of content provider and concentrate on giving us the best pipe they can.
    The cable in my wall is the same as the street in front of my house. I use is to get where I want to go. I don't expect my city to provide me with a transportation "portal" at the end of my driveway. I don't expect my cable company to do that either.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    jeremiah, 26 Aug 2005 @ 10:15am

    anal-ist's

    I'll tell you what analysts are thinking: "If I write nice stuff about how awesome (insert major global brand here) is, they'll give me sweet big-font props in their literature and web sites. My name next to (insert major global brand here) gives validation to my fragile ego at the same time creating an impression of relevance, therefore my pay rate increases."

    -j

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    Greg Andrew, 26 Aug 2005 @ 11:21am

    Verizon, Yahoo, and MSN

    Until now, Verison DSL had a similar deal with MSN for new customers. In both cases, Verizon offers the pay services MSN and Yahoo have as part of their DSL offering, so you are getting more than users get for free.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. identicon
    mhh5, 26 Aug 2005 @ 11:50am

    Re: Verizon should let its left hand know what it'

    Actually, Verizon DSL has a MSN portal option, too. Back in January, Verizon "added" Yahoo's portal.. MSN's portal has always been an option.. and continues to be, according to Verzion DSL.... Yahoo is probably just waiting to announce a mobile portal deal with Verizon Wireless, to get a second round of publicity or something.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. identicon
    basic15, 6 Jan 2006 @ 11:09pm

    Re: Verizon should let its left hand know what it'

    The advantage to selecting MSN (or AOL/Verizon for that matter) is that you get McAfee Fire Wall and a/v which is not the case with Yahoo. Verizon does not explain this when they ask you for your choice

    link to this | view in thread ]


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