Yeah... how stupid could they be to leave the same phone number? I was starting to think that they're just part of the same entity (two sides to the same coin and not really competitors).
Obsessed with "new" information, newspapers often ignore a key function that they can still serve pretty effectively: that of archivist. Whether or not something is a blatant lie is one thing, but merely showing how inconsistent a person's position has been over time can be useful too. The information is usually out there on the net for any of us to find, but for reporters to do that little bit of extra work in the archives is one of the few remaining ways they can prove their value-add.
If it all boils down to responsibility, and you feel that someone who racks up a multi-thousand dollar bill in one month is being irresponsible, then I suppose nothing will change your mind. But surely there's some responsibility on the cell provider's part too? Would the responsible thing be to track usage like the credit card companies do and alert subscribers to "unusual charges" incurred on their plan? Forget responsible, wouldn't that be a great customer service perk that sets your company apart from the competition?
The worst example is the "unlimited text" plan that actually has a really high limit (in the fine print) and when the teen exceeded the limit, the company charged him an astronomical bill. That is very irresponsible advertising and business behavior by the company: don't call something "unlimited" when it isn't.
I was about to agree with you. Attracting AND retaining customers is a normal one-two priority in business. But to say "this is a newspaper after all" sounds like you're okay with them not just retaining subscribers but clinging to the old business model. Advertisers indeed pay for eyeballs. More eyeballs come from growing the community through a high quality online presence that encourages sharing, interaction, and loyalty (like a real community). For more revenue: add reasons to pay for scarce goods and services associated with, for example, paid membership in a club (a formal part of the community you've created).
To me it is pretty straightforward, yet we've seen so often how the "paywall" is nothing more than slapping a price on something that was free the day before (and worse: building that wall around it so sharing and growing new readers can't happen).
"Short-term thinking" might be very charitable way to describe this move. So many businesses seem to be making decisions about how to bump profits now, regardless of what it does to future prospects. Slashing expenses has been happening in all sectors, but especially in news publishing -- to the detriment of quality. Now they are trying out the paywall and other desperate theories about increasing revenue.
We know it is doomed to failure. In fact, most of the evidence we've seen indicates that it won't even provide a short-term increase: the digital generation will zip past to find alternative sources and any older generation person trying out online access to their favorite musty old magazine will merely be frustrated that they could have just started with the paper version. I think the jury is still out on how iPad will figure into things (Apple continues to surprise me).
Strongly derivative work. Unintentional infringement. Network or supply chain responsibility. Is this all seriously in the French legislation? Add all that to three mere accusations of infringement and you've got a nation headed for Internet impoverishment.
It is scary like a horror story, which makes me hope that the claims about the legislation made in the comment are exaggerated.
The tech support and billing people sign off with "Thank you for choosing Rogers". It drives my wife and I crazy because we DID NOT CHOOSE Rogers. They bought our old (excellent) ISP and suddenly we have bandwidth caps, throttling, 404 replacement pages, and this "message insertion" stuff. While this particular practice may not be the worst of what they do... they are clearly not an ISP I would have "chosen" if I really had a choice. Before Rogers became my ISP, I barely paid attention to the Net Neutrality activism in Canada... now I am a huge Michael Geist fan and I'm agitating for more CRTC oversight of the big ISPs.
The Bravia will be the first specific brand that Sony offers this with. I tend to look on the bright side: this means that the device is capable of network connectivity. If the first content is Hancock (not Hitchcock -- although I was thinking "if only" like PaulT seeing that mistake) and it is offered through some encrypted, proprietary site, so be it. But maybe that means general streaming or even downloading (just like picking up broadcast, cable, or satellite signals) will be a standard part of televisions eventually.
On the post: US Copyright Group Caught Red Handed Copying Competitor's Website
Re: Gorilla
On the post: Scary: It's 'Newsworthy' That A Newspaper Prints Facts
The function of a newspaper
On the post: Mobile Phone Operator Lobbyists Say No Laws Necessary To Prevent 'Bill Shock'
Re: Mixed on this matter
The worst example is the "unlimited text" plan that actually has a really high limit (in the fine print) and when the teen exceeded the limit, the company charged him an astronomical bill. That is very irresponsible advertising and business behavior by the company: don't call something "unlimited" when it isn't.
On the post: Newspapers Doing Well With Membership Clubs Instead Of Paywalls
Re: Focus on Subscriber retention
To me it is pretty straightforward, yet we've seen so often how the "paywall" is nothing more than slapping a price on something that was free the day before (and worse: building that wall around it so sharing and growing new readers can't happen).
On the post: Time Magazine's New Paywall? Buy The Paper Version Or The iPad Version To Read
Short-Term Thinking?
We know it is doomed to failure. In fact, most of the evidence we've seen indicates that it won't even provide a short-term increase: the digital generation will zip past to find alternative sources and any older generation person trying out online access to their favorite musty old magazine will merely be frustrated that they could have just started with the paper version. I think the jury is still out on how iPad will figure into things (Apple continues to surprise me).
On the post: France's Three Strikes Enforcement Agency... Pirated A Font For Its Logo
All these loophole closures
It is scary like a horror story, which makes me hope that the claims about the legislation made in the comment are exaggerated.
On the post: Rogers Back To Inserting Its Messages Onto Others' Websites
Thank you for choosing Rogers
On the post: Movie Downloads Get Even More Confusing Thanks To Sony
Devices capable of streaming
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