Speed Counts Netflix
Image Courtesy cheezburger.com
Speed is everything online and I'm not talking about slow loading video or laggy audio.
I'm talking customer service/awareness and responsiveness.
PR-wise, Netflix has been taking some hard hits over the last few weeks. First, the pricing changes separating streaming video and mail order DVD subscriptions into two fees. Then, the Internet is raging over the fact that you can only stream Netflix on one per device per household at a time.
This article from PCWorld articulates the issue with single streams very well. If you have multiple people in your home and multiple streaming capable device, why shouldn't you be able to watch Netflix on both devices at the same time.
Buried somewhere in their agreement Netflix has mentioned multiple streams are only allowed if you take the multiple DVD at a time rental option. Of course, now that has been recreated as a separate option the old wording doesn't even make sense.
StoptheCap.com had an article yesterday saying they received notice from Netflix that multiple streams should not be a problem and is in fact, just a technical glitch. They go on to say that at least some of their users are still reporting the issue.
My main issue with all of this is not the inconsistent stories or the technical problems. My problem is with the lack of communication from Netflix themselves!
Where are they? Why aren't they blasting the "technical glitch" story all over their blog and main website? This is not a new problem and people are fuming; over 5000 negative comments on the Netflix site already. Who knows how many emails and phone calls are being traded. Meanwhile, all of the media I see from Netflix is firmly stuck in broadcast mode blithely spewing happy little ads about their new content and ignoring the PR storm blazing all around them.
Speed counts. When there is an issue, respond to it and fast. Don't leave it for others to speculate on while you figure out the best PR spin tactic to use. Tell us what's going on before we move to one of the rapidly appearing competitors.
Oh, and Netflix; while you formulate a response to my questions, have someone update your Facebook pages too. There's not a whisper of any of this on the Canadian page. Plenty of other complaints mind you.
For you, the reader, keep in mind that even if you stick with the cheapest $7.99/month streaming only plan, you are still paying for that bandwidth from your ISP. Watch your limits and decide if that 5 year old B movie is worth it.
Full Tilt Afternoon
Beautiful day for a drive. Helen & I took advantage to check out the show in McIvers. 
Some of the installation pieces included Faces: Billboards by Phil Robbins / Jillian Parsons.
I know Phil took the pics but wow Jill put in a lot of effort to get this in place, excellent job.
Besides the lovely food with full on vegan options in the form of hummus, and other delights I can't name, beside the spicy sausages and wraps, there was wine and lots of conversation to be had.
Met some great people out there today and saw friends too! Great experience.
I'll add the rest of the pictures to a gallery in the morning. For now, it's off to bed.
Oh, but first let's see how my first panoramic shot taken from my phones looks:
You can see a few of the billboards scattered about.
Entering a New Medium!
New to me that is.
If you have not heard already, the first article for my new technology column, Beyond the Browser, was published in The Western Star this week.
I'm pretty excited to see how this "new" media works with what I have running already. I have added the RSS feed for those articles that are cross-published online to my sidebar.
It's more difficult than I imagined to write for a newspaper column. I've never been too concerned with word count and those other little details. Please bear with me as I find my print media voice.
I've started the column with a series of informational articles related to businesses first entering the online world. I look forward to your comments and feedback.
Feel free to comment and post ideas here as well. I've already found I have more to say than can be reasonably published in a biweekly feature. So expect to see follow-up posts here as companion pieces to my print articles.
Thanks to Troy Turner and Chris Noseworthy for considering me for the column. And thanks to Helen Jayne and Dara Squires for the read through and advice on my first article.
About Jon Reid
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