Hey, Rizzn-ites:
Just a quick blog to ask my readers - what do you know about monetizing online video? It's very difficult to get a hold of most online video ad agencies unless you have a DMCA notice in your hand, I'm learning. I'm trying to put together some research on what resources exist for the non-Silicon-Valley-networked content producer for some clients and my own use. I plan to post the information I find here and more in depth info to my vodcast mailing list.
If you're interested in staying connected to what's hot in the internet tv space, or if you have some info I can use for this research project, shoot me an email.
/rizzn
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Thursday, July 26, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Hello World: How NOT to launch an Live Video Website
Hey Rizzn-ites,
I've been dancing around talking on this topic directly on the show and here in the blog, but essentially, here's the scoop: my involvement, and the involvement of N-Ventive Studios with the UBN broadcast has come to an end. I've not wanted to talk about it publicly here for fear or souring certain business relationships, with Paul Darby, and with those that work with him. I enjoyed my tenure as a consultant for him, but as I mentioned in my last post, our working relationship was peppered with intense communication failures.
Essentially, what I think the biggest mitigating factor, if I try to read between the lines, is the decision of Unimax, Paul Darby, and UBN to go with the live video broadcasting service HelloWorld.com. It baffled me why Paul had the impulse to go with them in the first place, especially considering two major factors: A) HelloWorld is not a free service, it's a pay service and B) UStream.TV treated us like celebrities for the numbers we brought into the service during the broadcast (and a wonderful working relationship with Brad Hunstable from UStream has grown out of it).
Here's the problem with HelloWorld - it's primary business model is MLM based, so it's very difficult to find any negative press about it in the general wilds of the internet. As someone who was enlisted to make this software work for a professional solution, let me be the one to give them their first and most widely read piece of negative publicity.
Hello World... it sucks!
Under no circumstances should you for any reason subscribe to this service.
To be fair, though, let's go over their positive side:
- They have a really slick studio side. Every bit of the JavaScript performs quickly and efficiently.
- They have a full set of features.
- Blogging, a barely index-able text representation of a blog.
- Podcasting, the strongest of their tools, but very limited for reasons I'll go over below.
- Video IM,
- Video Mail,
- Live Broadcast,
- They give you a web cam when you sign up.
That's more or less where the good stuff ends. Again, in bullet-point style, a few of the ways that HelloWorld stinks:
- Unless you are an Internet Explorer user, the site will not work. At all. Don't even think about it.
- The broadcast module is written in Active-X. This basically means it works about 50% of the time - and we tested this on really solid hardware (the box we tested on was a $10,000 Video Toaster).
- The browsing interface tends to work intermittently. It's not clear how to create a free account from the front page, and unless you are logged in, you don't have access to look at the directories.
- The broadcast plans are metered.
- $9.95 /month - the Cast Plan
- Your broadcasts are limited to 20 minutes at a time.
- 3 Simultaneous viewer limit.
- Video emails are limited to 2 minutes.
- Once your bandwidth hits 1 GB, you're downloads are cut off from the public
- $19.95 /month - the Agent Plan
- 40 minute broadcasts.
- 5 Simultaneous viewer limit.
- 3 minute video emails.
- 2 GB bandwidth limit.
- $39.95 /month - the Producer Plan
- 60 minute broadcasts.
- 10 Simultaneous viewer limit.
- 4 minute video emails.
- 3 GB bandwidth limit.
- $2000 down, $200 /month
- Unlimited everything.
- There is no free version that allows you to do anything but watch video.
- Their marketing arm is deceptive.
- They promised that there was a flash player. There isn't.
- They promised that there was a way to embed the player. There isn't.
- They promised cross-platform compatibility. There isn't.
- They promised the ability to interface directly with the programming department. The closest we came to this was yelling at the supervisor for customer service.
If your video broadcasts experience any kind of success whatsoever (which is why you're doing it, right?) then you'll run out of bandwidth in a matter of days. 1-3 GB is a joke when it comes to video.
If the bandwidth question doesn't trip any alarm bells off for you, the viewer limit should. A Skype call with a good broadband connection should afford you the ability to broadcast to 3 to 10 people. 10 might be pushing it, but there are many other free solutions if all you're trying to reach is single digit numbers. This is not a good solution for what they sell it as in the marketing department: a solution to launch your video to the world.
What if your an internet marketer? You're probably looking to create an MLM program out of this. Beware: the marketing folks will tell you it's possible to create a 3-up system out of this, but what they will lead you to believe that even the $9.95 a month customer can refer new sign-ups. They cannot.
This is a deceptive organization built on out-moded, out-dated, and generally bad technology. I absolutely do not recommend this service - and anyone who is pitching their expertise in video technology that uses this service should be treated with extremely suspicious eyes. Only a complete internet newbie with no experience in the space would look at this company and think it's a good idea to use this as their video platform of choice.
Bottom line? HelloWorld is not a Web 2.0 app. It's not the best solution for online video. In fact, I'm willing to stake my name in saying that it's a solution for suckers. If you are willing to pay out the nose for something that's now free, go right ahead. Otherwise? Avoid like the plague.
Later this week, we'll take a moment with Brad and talk a bit about UStream, a service that I've evaluated against every other live video service out there (yes, even the ones in private beta). I'm rather close (especially after the recent updates) to name them the best of the best out there.
More on that later though. Stay tuned!
/rizzn
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Monday, July 23, 2007
Communication in Business: It's Important
I had to cut ties with one of my favorite clients tonight. It wasn't done without a lot of thought and deliberation, and without going into the gory details on the ins and outs that contributed to my decision, let me just say a few words on the topic of communication.
I did a show on The Brushfires last week, and the topic that really got Jack and I going was this on communication in project management. In the conversation, I predicted the demise of this particular project, and it appears that my projections have come true.
I was hired to consult on and engineer for a particularly complicated video podcast show. The man had a built in audience with him, and all he had to do to make it a successful show would be to show up, and produce quality content. Consistently, he'd show up to the show a couple hours before it started with a basket full of edit jobs to do, and no show preparation. Those of us on the team begged him to listen, and attempted multiple times to schedule coaching sessions to improve his game a bit, but he could never seem to fit us into his busy schedule.
Furthermore, I was designated to wear the hat of chief rain-maker, in that I was to come up with advertising business model, make daily changes to the web site, and of course engineer all podcasts.
The problem, of course, being that he was either unwilling to make the time to communicate with me. All it would take would be responses to email correspondence in order to ensure the marching orders I understood were the ones he had in fact issued... just a quick five minute call for me to give him a status update, and for him to confirm that was the direction I needed to be going in.
As it turns out, relationships soured because when he told me what he wanted in a (and I quote here) 'web button' actually was a video thumbnail. So when I finally had all the videos converted, back end code written, reward models formulated and the forms formatted, and I showed it to him after two weeks of work, he became rather upset that I didn't just create the thumbnails two weeks ago, and why did it take me two weeks to make some thumbnails?
I'm sure you've probably guessed which client it is at this point, if you've been following my work online. Bottom line is that the relationship has now soured to the point where he hasn't returned my phone calls or emails in over a week in some sort of odd passive-aggressive revenge for the 'button incident.' Now what potentially could have been a show worth thousands a week in income is now a very expensive mistake for all involved, including myself, as I was working partially on spec.
I must take some of the blame, however. In the future, I'm going to be a lot more careful to exact a great deal more communication (or alternatively, up-front in-full payment) from my clients, especially where speculative deals are involved. There's nothing more annoying and disheartening to realize you've wasted a lot of good days on a project when it collapses through no fault of your own.
/mark
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I did a show on The Brushfires last week, and the topic that really got Jack and I going was this on communication in project management. In the conversation, I predicted the demise of this particular project, and it appears that my projections have come true.
I was hired to consult on and engineer for a particularly complicated video podcast show. The man had a built in audience with him, and all he had to do to make it a successful show would be to show up, and produce quality content. Consistently, he'd show up to the show a couple hours before it started with a basket full of edit jobs to do, and no show preparation. Those of us on the team begged him to listen, and attempted multiple times to schedule coaching sessions to improve his game a bit, but he could never seem to fit us into his busy schedule.
Furthermore, I was designated to wear the hat of chief rain-maker, in that I was to come up with advertising business model, make daily changes to the web site, and of course engineer all podcasts.
The problem, of course, being that he was either unwilling to make the time to communicate with me. All it would take would be responses to email correspondence in order to ensure the marching orders I understood were the ones he had in fact issued... just a quick five minute call for me to give him a status update, and for him to confirm that was the direction I needed to be going in.
As it turns out, relationships soured because when he told me what he wanted in a (and I quote here) 'web button' actually was a video thumbnail. So when I finally had all the videos converted, back end code written, reward models formulated and the forms formatted, and I showed it to him after two weeks of work, he became rather upset that I didn't just create the thumbnails two weeks ago, and why did it take me two weeks to make some thumbnails?
I'm sure you've probably guessed which client it is at this point, if you've been following my work online. Bottom line is that the relationship has now soured to the point where he hasn't returned my phone calls or emails in over a week in some sort of odd passive-aggressive revenge for the 'button incident.' Now what potentially could have been a show worth thousands a week in income is now a very expensive mistake for all involved, including myself, as I was working partially on spec.
I must take some of the blame, however. In the future, I'm going to be a lot more careful to exact a great deal more communication (or alternatively, up-front in-full payment) from my clients, especially where speculative deals are involved. There's nothing more annoying and disheartening to realize you've wasted a lot of good days on a project when it collapses through no fault of your own.
/mark
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Saturday, July 14, 2007
Just a brief mention of AT&T...
Hey there Rizznites!
There's a bunch of new folk's eyeballs looking at these words here, and to you I say "hello!" and "welcome!"
I first want to say to those on the DSLReports forum that I in no way advocate defrauding AT&T or the government ... in picking the "I am poor" selections on the AT&T landline signup page ... it just seems that if you pick those options, you get better access to the cheaper services. They tend to hide those and endless pitch you useless services otherwise in your attempt to get a barebones landline trying to sign up for the $10 DSL.
If you're not sure what I'm talking about in the previous paragraph - go to the DSL reports mention of last week's AT&T article and read their forum posts. There's quite a few folks that don't understand why I went through the hassle I went through to get it (and if your curious why I did, check out the latest $10 DSL post and read the comments where I address a bit of that).
For those of you wondering what else I talk about here on rizzn.com, I'd like to point you to my podcast or my current video podcasting efforts over at the UBN. I'm a podcasting consultant, and these days, business is booming. Everyone across the media-entertainment-technology space seems to be wising up to the idea that there is an actual business to be had in podcasting.
Over the next few weeks, I'm actively going to be pursuing a number of ways to better monetize my multimedia efforts, and I'll be talking about how that's going here on the blog, so those in the New Media looking to make a couple bucks at it would be wise to throw my RSS into your feedreader.
It's rather late, and going on early, so I'll wrap this up. Just wanted to nod hello to the newcomers. The RSS subscription numbers appear to have tripled over the weekend so far, and I thought that warranted a special post on the occasion!
Have a good weekend folks. Talk to you Monday morning, if not sooner.
/rizzn
Want to be part of the Rizzn-ite army? Indoctrination instructions here.
There's a bunch of new folk's eyeballs looking at these words here, and to you I say "hello!" and "welcome!"
I first want to say to those on the DSLReports forum that I in no way advocate defrauding AT&T or the government ... in picking the "I am poor" selections on the AT&T landline signup page ... it just seems that if you pick those options, you get better access to the cheaper services. They tend to hide those and endless pitch you useless services otherwise in your attempt to get a barebones landline trying to sign up for the $10 DSL.
If you're not sure what I'm talking about in the previous paragraph - go to the DSL reports mention of last week's AT&T article and read their forum posts. There's quite a few folks that don't understand why I went through the hassle I went through to get it (and if your curious why I did, check out the latest $10 DSL post and read the comments where I address a bit of that).
For those of you wondering what else I talk about here on rizzn.com, I'd like to point you to my podcast or my current video podcasting efforts over at the UBN. I'm a podcasting consultant, and these days, business is booming. Everyone across the media-entertainment-technology space seems to be wising up to the idea that there is an actual business to be had in podcasting.
Over the next few weeks, I'm actively going to be pursuing a number of ways to better monetize my multimedia efforts, and I'll be talking about how that's going here on the blog, so those in the New Media looking to make a couple bucks at it would be wise to throw my RSS into your feedreader.
It's rather late, and going on early, so I'll wrap this up. Just wanted to nod hello to the newcomers. The RSS subscription numbers appear to have tripled over the weekend so far, and I thought that warranted a special post on the occasion!
Have a good weekend folks. Talk to you Monday morning, if not sooner.
/rizzn
Want to be part of the Rizzn-ite army? Indoctrination instructions here.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
One Man's Quest for $10 DSL: Revolutions
Update: 11:59 AM on 7/13/2007 - My wife confirmed receipt and delivery of the AT&T service and the DSL modem. She's hooking it up now, and she says it's working. As Engadget said... "Who has the last laugh now?" muahahaa!
Okay, this is the final chapter of the process, as I now have it ordered. Whether it will work is another story, but we'll talk about that once the activation date for the DSL has passed. For the other parts of the story, look here:
My Quest for $10 DSL (All Parts)
4:28: Went back to the web form like yesterday.
4:29: Called the customer support number, since the system requires me to enter a customer verification number I don't seem to have yet.
Enter your 3-digitSince I don't have a bill yet, I can't enter it. Hopefully AT&T will allow me to get it over the phone.
customer code, which
can be found in the
top corner of your bill.
4:47: CSR Libby informed me that I need to set up my AT&T online account to get through the order form. To get this account, I need the three digit code from my phone bill, which I won't get until August. She can get fired for giving it to me over the phone, apparently, but the billing department @ (1800-585-7928) might be able to help me somehow.
4:53: Hold music playing jazz version of "Hey Jude"
4:55: Still on hold. Is it just me or is it absolutely ridiculous how disorganised this company is? I have lost count at this point how many different webforms and 800 numbers I've had to call. Maybe I'll tally it up when I'm all done.
5:01: The nice lady in billing gave me my code - notice I mentioned nothing about the $10 DSL, and I got much better service - I'm definitely noticing a trend here. That, and my three digit code... I won't say what it is, but I will say it's stupidly easy. I should have guessed it. We're talkin' Space Balls easy.
5:03: Going back to the web form. Again.
5:05: Ooooh, low blow. They make you pay for the router and then mail in a rebate, thus getting around the 'free' requirement in the merger agreement. I wonder if that's legal?
5:06: Selecting self install. Technician install is $200. Ouch. Self install is free.
5:07: My first available activation date is July 16th. A little long on the activation date, methinks, but then I suppose beggars can't be choosers.
5:08: Here's the service TOS on the DSL
I agree to maintain AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet (Downstream speeds up to 768 Kbps/Upstream speeds up to 128 Kbps) or a higher speed, for twelve (12) months from the date of activation. I understand that this is a special offer for customers who order online and who have not previously subscribed to AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet (DSL) from AT&T. AT&T reserves the right to rerate to the appropriate monthly rate if this information is found to be false.5:10: I chose the $79.99 router (with mail in rebate making it free) because of it's wireless capabilities. There was a $49.99 router available as well (also with full mail in rebate making it free). They also charged the $10.00 for the first month, but I didn't need to pay for it up front - it is marked as "Bill to my account." There was also a non-refundable $12.95 charge for UPS delivery.
AT&T Yahoo! High speed is subject to the terms and conditions of the AT&T Yahoo! Internet Service Agreement ("Service Agreement"), provided at the time of service registration and activation. If I terminate my AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet, or if service is terminated for violation of the Service Agreement, prior to the expiration of twelve (12) months from the activation date, I understand I will be charged a $50 termination fee that represents a portion of the network activation and setup costs foregone as a result of such termination.
I acknowledge that I have read the foregoing term agreement, and I agree to the terms and conditions thereof, including, but not limited to, the $50 early termination fee.
So, at 5:13 PM CST on Wednesday, July 11th, 2007 - I'm finally done getting this. Of course it's not all activated yet, and still remains to be untested, and they could also 'forget' to include the rebate coupon or information, and I could get stuck with a recurring contract for a year with AT&T over something that will end up not working.
But that's assuming the worst. Assuming the best out of all this, if you play your cards right, here's what you have to do to get yourself set up with the same thing I have in the shortest amount of time possible (learning from my trial and error).
How to get
- Set aside $50.00 for activation of your phone service, and have handy by the end of the billing cycle another $95.00 or so for the DSL activation and modem fees.
- Go to this web form and set up AT&T phone service.
- Any time it asks you if you're poor, say yes.
- Any time it asks you for a credit check, opt for driver license verification instead (unless your credit really sucks, and you really are poor).
- Do not add any special services in the order process. Go with the metered local calling - remember, you're never going to use this phone ever. It's just for the DSL.
- Don't have them come into your house to test stuff unless you're SURE they'll need to. It's $200 a pop every time they set foot in your house.
- You'll end up with a $7.00 a month AT&T phone service with a $38.00 set up fee, and they'll make you prepay a total of $50.00 via credit/debit card.
- Wait until your phone is activated. This shouldn't take more than a few days. I screwed up by starting on a Friday. You'll get better results if you start on a Monday.
- After three or so business days have passed, call (1-800-585-7928) and ask to speak to the billing department. Have you're AT&T local phone number handy, as well as your home address.
- Ask them for your three digit customer code.
- Do not mention you're trying to get the $10 DSL - that always fouls things up with AT&T. Just say you're in a rush to get your code, and you haven't gotten a bill yet.
- Go to ATT.com and create a web management account.
- Go back to the SBC web form and sign up for your service. You don't need your credit card, everything gets billed to your phone account.
- Voila! You now have cheap DSL service! Your monthly bill should be $18 a month for everything, according to the folks I've talked to over at AT&T. I won't know for sure till I get my first bill, however.
/rizzn
BTW: I'm selling podcast advertising on my show. Go here and bid on it via eBay.
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Tuesday, July 10, 2007
One Man's Quest for $10 DSL: Reloaded
In case you missed my live blog last week on ordering the alleged $10 DSL, I have found that it in fact exists and is theoretically possible to get. I'm well into hour five in terms of time spent trying to get it. Read here to see what brought me to this point, and pay attention to this page throughout the day while I work to see this through to completion.
3:20: Called (800-288-2020) to find out why they haven't installed my phone line yet. Learned from the automated system while I was on hold that you can't order an iPhone over the phone with AT&T.
3:24: For the industry leader in Voice Recognition systems, AT&T's VR really sucks.
3:27: Even though I picked the right department for checking the status of an order through the online prompts, I was given to a billing person, who tried to get me to hang up and call someone else. I went off on her like we were on Jerry Springer and she suddenly figured out how to transfer my call.
3:32: I apparently landed in the queue that tells you "Sorry about your luck." The message that repeats verbatim goes as such:
3:34: Decided to hang up and try using the web form to sign up for DSL. Maybe I'm activated enough to get it working.
3:28: Glory Hallelujah!
3:40: Apparently I can't complete the order because my account is only sortof activated. Back to the phones. This time I called (866.602.4412), a number from the other activation email I got from signing up for phone service.
3:46: Posting what I have to the blog, and continuing to wait on hold. This is light jazz stuff, so it's doable.. better than the 70's hold music from last week.
3:52: Discovered a domain wide ASP error on rizzn.com - Fixed it. Doh! Still on hold.
3:59: Finally got someone on the phone. His name is Billy. He's pulling up my order data.
4:01: Apparently, I need to wait two more days before I order DSL - I need to circulate through the system or something. So look for my next update tomorrow or Thursday.
/rizzn
Want to be part of the Rizzn-ite army? Indoctrination instructions here.
3:20: Called (800-288-2020) to find out why they haven't installed my phone line yet. Learned from the automated system while I was on hold that you can't order an iPhone over the phone with AT&T.
3:24: For the industry leader in Voice Recognition systems, AT&T's VR really sucks.
3:27: Even though I picked the right department for checking the status of an order through the online prompts, I was given to a billing person, who tried to get me to hang up and call someone else. I went off on her like we were on Jerry Springer and she suddenly figured out how to transfer my call.
3:32: I apparently landed in the queue that tells you "Sorry about your luck." The message that repeats verbatim goes as such:
"Your call is very important to us, thank you for calling AT&T customer service. We're currently experiencing high call volumes and apologize for the inconvenience, please try your call again later today."I'm not sure whether to be grateful that I don't have to listen to "I Want it That Way" repeat on the hold music anymore, or be irked that I just got ungraciously hung up on.
3:34: Decided to hang up and try using the web form to sign up for DSL. Maybe I'm activated enough to get it working.
3:28: Glory Hallelujah!
You selected Basic, but did you know that with our Express package you'll get... (marketing crap here) ...Yes, I want to order Express for $19.99 per monthGee... can you guess which one I picked?
No, continue with Basic for $10.00 per month
3:40: Apparently I can't complete the order because my account is only sortof activated. Back to the phones. This time I called (866.602.4412), a number from the other activation email I got from signing up for phone service.
3:46: Posting what I have to the blog, and continuing to wait on hold. This is light jazz stuff, so it's doable.. better than the 70's hold music from last week.
3:52: Discovered a domain wide ASP error on rizzn.com - Fixed it. Doh! Still on hold.
3:59: Finally got someone on the phone. His name is Billy. He's pulling up my order data.
4:01: Apparently, I need to wait two more days before I order DSL - I need to circulate through the system or something. So look for my next update tomorrow or Thursday.
/rizzn
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Thursday, July 5, 2007
My Quest for $10 DSL
UPDATE 7/10/2007: the saga continues here.
UPDATE 7/11/2007: the saga concludes here.
I'm determined to get this $10 internet for my wife at home. I read about it on TechDirt several weeks ago, and thought "Hey, wouldn't it be nice?" Of course, there's rarely a free lunch, and after surfing the internet forums, I wondered if I actually signed up for it, if I'd be the first - most people had problems getting to the right page and getting the right page to pop up even when they got the right URL.
Always one to be a pioneer, and always willing to put the screws to AT&T, I've taken it upon myself to go through the arduous task of making this possible. Hopefully I'll be able to pave the way for others to do this for themselves in the future, as well as make my wife happy with some cheap internet service at the house.
All Timestamps are PM.
4:00: went to the link from the TechDirt article on DSL Reports, went through the sign-up form. System informs me that I'm not qualified for AT&T DSL service in my location.
4:14: Called customer service. On hold for 20 minutes, and then hung up on when transferred.
4:40: Called different customer service line (800-869-1598), and was told that, after 15 minutes on hold, that I could get DSL where I was, but they would have to transfer me to the the right regional customer service. As soon as I started speaking with the customer service guy about the $10 deal, I mysteriously get transferred, and hung up on.
5:20: Went through the website again, and this time clicked on the live chat thing. Spent about 20 minutes discussing things with her. Started out by telling the CSR about my request for the $10 DSL (probably a mistake), and mysteriously I'm told that it's not available again. She offers me Satellite Internet at an exhorbitant rate. I graciously decline. She refers me to a phone number to tell me exactly why DSL isn't available for me (1-800-709-5465).
6:00: Dicker around on the internet, considering getting wireless internet through a mobile phone provider.
6:03: Look at the pricing plans, and decide this is a stupid idea. Especially since I don't have a laptop.
6:15: Dig up the number chat lady gave me, and call it.
6:19: They give me this number to call: (877-722-3755). I call it. Talk to the lady about setting up standalone DSL, and get a go-ahead. I then mention that I want the special $10 deal. She tells me it's a web-only offer. I mention my dilemma, and she transfers me to the web-help people.
7:02: Talked to Billy, presumably a web help guy. Tell him the problem, but don't mention that it's the $10 deal specifically. He's bringing a specialist on the line, allegedly. It sounds like he punted me to a different department. Probably DSL sales again. I don't recognize the hold music as being from the same department, so it may be someone else entirely.
7:06: Realize how sad it is that I'm learning to recognize their hold music. The maintenance men just turned out the lights in the hallways. I realize how late it's getting.
7:10: This hold music sounds like it is playing off magnetic tape, and it's been playing continuously since the 70s, when these tunes were written. It speeds up and slows down randomly.
7:12: I hear a brief ring, and then back to hold music. Same songs.
7:15: Talking to Nick in the Retention Office. He tells me that the $10 deal is not a standalone DSL deal. I must order phone service, even if it's the ultra-cheap $10 phone service, to be able to get the $10 DSL. So now, I begin my quest to find the most dirt cheap telephone service AT&T offers.
7:17: Went to the special $10 DSL Order Page and then clicked on the Residential Link on the following line:
7:32: I'm sitting at the pay screen, looking at the button to pay for $7 a month local phone service. I'm pondering whether to trust Nick at his word and go for it, or to just give it up. No! I've come to far to give up! Plus, I'm going to use a credit card, so I can always reverse the charges.
7:42: The phone number it assigned me is the same as what one of my buddies from middle school's phone number was. Odd coincidence.
7:45: Total cost so far: $50.00 (pre-paid). Actual charges: $7.00 + $38.50, but they require a $50.00 prepayment, apparently. Hooray for credit checks!
7:47: Went back to the order DSL special page from DSL Reports. Entered my new phone number, and got this error message:
7:54: First recognizable song played on hold: "Every Step You Take, I'll Be Watching You."
8:05: Still on hold. I hope I'm home before tomorrow. Not looking hopeful for that impossible dream.
8:12: Talked to George Thomas in Sales. He says I have to wait until the 9th to activate my special $10 DSL internet deal. He is the first person besides Billy that actually was aware of the $10 DSL deal, and was able to confirm the pricing and account requirements. He also mentioned that all the taxes and special tariff addons that come bundled as a 'feature' of most broadband internet was less than $1.00 - so I can expect my monthly bill to be around $11.00 for the DSL, and $7.00 for the local line (which will be sitting dormant and unused).
8:16: Decide that there's nothing more I can do, and go home for the day.
Bottom Line: This is a To Be Continued thing... I'll do another live blog on this on the 9th when I go about setting up my DSL service, but it looks like everything will come to $18.00 a month, and will work as (not) advertised. I'll withhold final judgement till everything is installed, but I'm looking forward with cautious optimism.
Here's What You Do To Not Spend 4 Hours Figuring This Out:
/rizzn
Update 7/6/2007, 7:18 PM: Just got linked by Engadget, and Gizmodo too, although I don't see the link on their page, emails are coming in saying it's been linked there. In response to the comments - my website design serves me well. If I served an audience the size of Engadget or Gizmodo, I'd prolly hire a designer to do it for me. As it is, I've got an audience of thousands, not millions, and they don't seem to care.
But I know it's a turd of a site. Bleh
As to the substance of some of the comments, the reason I've got to wait until the 9th is for the installation and activation of the phone line, which is the earliest possible date to get the line installed. Once that's done, I can get the DSL installed.
Perhaps it was my own negligence or maybe nobody actually said this, but I was under the impression that the $10 DSL was standalone service - it wasn't.
Thanks Engadget! (and Gizmodo, if you linked me, too!).
Update 7/9/2007: A lot of you are looking for an update. I've been busy all day preparing for the live UBN show, and haven't had a chance to get with AT&T. It's on my agenda for first thing in the morning. Do not despair, I will update!
Want to be part of the Rizzn-ite army? Indoctrination instructions here.
UPDATE 7/11/2007: the saga concludes here.
I'm determined to get this $10 internet for my wife at home. I read about it on TechDirt several weeks ago, and thought "Hey, wouldn't it be nice?" Of course, there's rarely a free lunch, and after surfing the internet forums, I wondered if I actually signed up for it, if I'd be the first - most people had problems getting to the right page and getting the right page to pop up even when they got the right URL.
Always one to be a pioneer, and always willing to put the screws to AT&T, I've taken it upon myself to go through the arduous task of making this possible. Hopefully I'll be able to pave the way for others to do this for themselves in the future, as well as make my wife happy with some cheap internet service at the house.
All Timestamps are PM.
4:00: went to the link from the TechDirt article on DSL Reports, went through the sign-up form. System informs me that I'm not qualified for AT&T DSL service in my location.
4:14: Called customer service. On hold for 20 minutes, and then hung up on when transferred.
4:40: Called different customer service line (800-869-1598), and was told that, after 15 minutes on hold, that I could get DSL where I was, but they would have to transfer me to the the right regional customer service. As soon as I started speaking with the customer service guy about the $10 deal, I mysteriously get transferred, and hung up on.
5:20: Went through the website again, and this time clicked on the live chat thing. Spent about 20 minutes discussing things with her. Started out by telling the CSR about my request for the $10 DSL (probably a mistake), and mysteriously I'm told that it's not available again. She offers me Satellite Internet at an exhorbitant rate. I graciously decline. She refers me to a phone number to tell me exactly why DSL isn't available for me (1-800-709-5465).
6:00: Dicker around on the internet, considering getting wireless internet through a mobile phone provider.
6:03: Look at the pricing plans, and decide this is a stupid idea. Especially since I don't have a laptop.
6:15: Dig up the number chat lady gave me, and call it.
6:19: They give me this number to call: (877-722-3755). I call it. Talk to the lady about setting up standalone DSL, and get a go-ahead. I then mention that I want the special $10 deal. She tells me it's a web-only offer. I mention my dilemma, and she transfers me to the web-help people.
7:02: Talked to Billy, presumably a web help guy. Tell him the problem, but don't mention that it's the $10 deal specifically. He's bringing a specialist on the line, allegedly. It sounds like he punted me to a different department. Probably DSL sales again. I don't recognize the hold music as being from the same department, so it may be someone else entirely.
7:06: Realize how sad it is that I'm learning to recognize their hold music. The maintenance men just turned out the lights in the hallways. I realize how late it's getting.
7:10: This hold music sounds like it is playing off magnetic tape, and it's been playing continuously since the 70s, when these tunes were written. It speeds up and slows down randomly.
7:12: I hear a brief ring, and then back to hold music. Same songs.
7:15: Talking to Nick in the Retention Office. He tells me that the $10 deal is not a standalone DSL deal. I must order phone service, even if it's the ultra-cheap $10 phone service, to be able to get the $10 DSL. So now, I begin my quest to find the most dirt cheap telephone service AT&T offers.
7:17: Went to the special $10 DSL Order Page and then clicked on the Residential Link on the following line:
Need to order new AT&T local phone service? Order online for Residential or Business.Went with every option that seemed cheap. Opted out of the credit check. Basic basic basic - I won't be making a call on this line, just need it as a formality, and will be using VoIP when I have the internet set up, probably with Gizmo or Skype or something.
7:32: I'm sitting at the pay screen, looking at the button to pay for $7 a month local phone service. I'm pondering whether to trust Nick at his word and go for it, or to just give it up. No! I've come to far to give up! Plus, I'm going to use a credit card, so I can always reverse the charges.
7:42: The phone number it assigned me is the same as what one of my buddies from middle school's phone number was. Odd coincidence.
7:45: Total cost so far: $50.00 (pre-paid). Actual charges: $7.00 + $38.50, but they require a $50.00 prepayment, apparently. Hooray for credit checks!
7:47: Went back to the order DSL special page from DSL Reports. Entered my new phone number, and got this error message:
Due to technical problems, we are unable to process your order online at this time. Please contact us at 1-877-722-3755 Mon-Fri, 7am-9pm; Sat 8am-5pm.7:48: Calling (877-722-3755). I've called this line before. This is the one with the 70s hold music on the bad cassette tape.
7:54: First recognizable song played on hold: "Every Step You Take, I'll Be Watching You."
8:05: Still on hold. I hope I'm home before tomorrow. Not looking hopeful for that impossible dream.
8:12: Talked to George Thomas in Sales. He says I have to wait until the 9th to activate my special $10 DSL internet deal. He is the first person besides Billy that actually was aware of the $10 DSL deal, and was able to confirm the pricing and account requirements. He also mentioned that all the taxes and special tariff addons that come bundled as a 'feature' of most broadband internet was less than $1.00 - so I can expect my monthly bill to be around $11.00 for the DSL, and $7.00 for the local line (which will be sitting dormant and unused).
8:16: Decide that there's nothing more I can do, and go home for the day.
Bottom Line: This is a To Be Continued thing... I'll do another live blog on this on the 9th when I go about setting up my DSL service, but it looks like everything will come to $18.00 a month, and will work as (not) advertised. I'll withhold final judgement till everything is installed, but I'm looking forward with cautious optimism.
Here's What You Do To Not Spend 4 Hours Figuring This Out:
- If you have no AT&T land line, go here.
- Then go here once it's activated.
- Pay your $18.00 a month (but be willing to spend that $50.00 for the up-front pre-payment).
- Enjoy your slow (but cheap!) internet connection.
/rizzn
Update 7/6/2007, 7:18 PM: Just got linked by Engadget, and Gizmodo too, although I don't see the link on their page, emails are coming in saying it's been linked there. In response to the comments - my website design serves me well. If I served an audience the size of Engadget or Gizmodo, I'd prolly hire a designer to do it for me. As it is, I've got an audience of thousands, not millions, and they don't seem to care.
But I know it's a turd of a site. Bleh
As to the substance of some of the comments, the reason I've got to wait until the 9th is for the installation and activation of the phone line, which is the earliest possible date to get the line installed. Once that's done, I can get the DSL installed.
Perhaps it was my own negligence or maybe nobody actually said this, but I was under the impression that the $10 DSL was standalone service - it wasn't.
Thanks Engadget! (and Gizmodo, if you linked me, too!).
Update 7/9/2007: A lot of you are looking for an update. I've been busy all day preparing for the live UBN show, and haven't had a chance to get with AT&T. It's on my agenda for first thing in the morning. Do not despair, I will update!
Want to be part of the Rizzn-ite army? Indoctrination instructions here.
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