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 Advertising about TM Net nightmare in newspapers, Community-funded ads in The Star

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TSCed
post Jul 26 2007, 11:17 PM, updated 19y ago

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Following some proposals to run full-page advertisement in newspapers about TM Net deceiving services (throttling, high latency, packet-loss, terrible customer service, etc.), I contacted The Star to know about their pricing.

A full-page ad (37cm x 8cols) in The Star costs RM 15230 to RM 15540 depending on the day of publication.

This is very possible to finance. It would require a thousand people shelling out RM15 each. Only 500 persons @ RM31 each.

Comparatively to Streamyx's fees, that only represents 20 to 45% of a month's subscription fee. That's little money to bring public attention on the problems we are facing.

Reading through this forum, I can see people have been very angered by TM Net and are willing to put efforts in the balance to get their rights respected.

Well, this is a very good opportunity to put your money where your mouth is.


To get this started, we need to:

- choose a treasurer to collect and manage the funds
- designers to come up with advertisement mockups
- copywriters to work on the wordings. We need catchy text, easily comprehensible (no technical jargon), stay on focus), facts, no rumor.
- anyone help to review and discuss about the advertisement itself.

Anyone is welcome. If you have no free time, consider financial contribution. If you have no money, contribute to the design, text, reviews, etc.

Please give your opinion, thanks!

Ced
TSCed
post Jul 26 2007, 11:36 PM

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QUOTE(zhiyung @ Jul 26 2007, 11:29 PM)
First of all... you will need a legal advisor...
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Should I assume you're applying for the position? I'm happy to hear wink.gif

I think it's high time we get such a plan started. TM Net's bullshit has been lasting for too long. Anyone's help would be a step in the right direction.
TSCed
post Jul 26 2007, 11:41 PM

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QUOTE(J-Slade @ Jul 26 2007, 11:32 PM)
Ced, I know you have much much effort in gathering this. But are you even certain that The Star will publish this? Bear in mind they will be responsible for the reaction from the whole Malaysia and TM themselves. Not to mention that they have government censorship.
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Yes, such a concerns are legitimate. That's why we need to be careful when designing our advertisement; present facts, no personal opinion or rumor. Each word is important. The purpose of the ad is to bring public awareness and media coverage about a problem affecting many people.

In no way this ad should be use to as a vendetta. This is pointless, wouldn't help our cause and, as you mentioned it, would cause legal problems.


Added on July 26, 2007, 11:42 pm
QUOTE(maximsilentfoot @ Jul 26 2007, 11:37 PM)
i'm a final year LLB student. if u need a legal adviser let me know. libel and defamation are still fresh in my mind (kinda tongue.gif).
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That would be great! Thanks for your support.

This post has been edited by Ced: Jul 26 2007, 11:42 PM
TSCed
post Jul 27 2007, 02:39 AM

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QUOTE(sharkteef @ Jul 27 2007, 01:07 AM)
this is a very bad idea.

1 - we are after all malaysians.
2 - there is freedom of speech, but there is NO FREEDOM AFTER SPEECH
3 - The star will publicate anything as long as there is a valid contact person/number. details of yourself must be given, and if a case arises, would you be willing to stand for it even if there are 300 virtual people in here behind you ?
4 - this is what redesign malaysia is for. if you need a voice, join redesign malaysia. click on the search link for them.
5- LLB ???? you are not a member of the BAR council. you have almost no experience. understandably you have no right mind yet to aid someone who's attending to legal matters yet alone represent them in anything ? (not a mockery but sound advice)
6 - 15k may seem like a small amount, pertaining to an ad that would be seen by 20m people, noted by 200k people, understood by 20k people. an ad definitely not worth displaying for at the moment. arguably, whoever has streamyx most likely has complaints. but streamyx penetration in the market is relatively low.
7 - malaysians do not look down upon malaysians, even malaysian companies. we try to rectify what we can, resolve things as best we can. i for one, do not want foreigners to look into those ads. we are not incompetent. they (TMNet) may be stupid and dumb, but i rather they grow than to let someone foreign step in.

i understand your goodwill, all of you, but there are other better alternatives and i strongly encourage to join redesign malaysia. its a good option to share ideas and share your miseries of tmnet.

btw - streamyx sux and so does atlas one.
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Well, the bottom line of such an action is bring publicity to a matter that is not considered as important enough by relevant authorities and simply dismissed by TM Net (we all got their denial bullshit, didn't we?).

It's not the best solution and I do not put this forward as mean to fix all our problems. It is just one option to put pressure on TM Net and bring wider attention on the matter in the HOPE (and I insist on that word) that it will spark interest by relevant authorities to enforce customers' rights.

Because beyond the technical problems we face with TM Net (latency, packet-loss, slow connection..), the worse is their handling of our complaints. It can be sum up in one word: denial. As a customer, we cannot accept this.

Back to the ad itself, we do not have to mention TM Net. It is entirely possible design the advertisement without naming them (if that is the concern). With appropriate wording, we can still deliver the same message, and stay on target, without mentioning any company's name.

The advertisement doesn't need to look like an ad either. It's perfectly fine to run an article in an ad placeholder. However, there must be a clear mention that the article is itself an advertisement.

I agree with you about Redesign Malaysia and I support their efforts. This however doesn't mean any side action cannot be undertaken.

This post was primarily to test water, to know is enough support can be gathered for an community-funded advertisement campaign.

Many people, you included, have mentioned legal hazards that may arise from such a proposal. I take good notice of these. But it is important to understand that the purpose is not to bash TM Net or anyone. It's to inform people of the reality of broadband access in Malaysia, its shortcomings and the lack of good willing from ISPs to improve their service. If we stay focused on our goal, there's no more legal concerns to have than any journalist would have by writing on any subject.

Now this bring me to my last point: I do not know the level of freedom the press has in this country, for the simple fact that I am not malaysian and haven't lived in the country long enough to tell.

I spent my life in various countries around the world. And while I'm still young (at least I like to think I am), I've been able to get broad experience working in the IT industry in europe, south america, australia and, before arriving here, in Hong Kong. The conclusion I can draw on Malaysia, as far as business is concerned, is not that malaysians are any less competent than the next guy, but is a lack of good and efficient management. Too often I have seen people wasting their time following non-optimal procedures, working with inadequate tools. This is where Malaysia needs to improve. This is why the country is not as advanced as it could have been. Singapore's success is not just because of their reduced size. To end on a personal note, I think you should not decline foreign help or advice. I, myself, learned a lot from foreign experience and there is no shame to have about it.
TSCed
post Jul 28 2007, 02:33 AM

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Hey guys,

Going to reply your concerns as well as throwing a few more thoughts in the debate.

QUOTE(gildan2020 @ Jul 27 2007, 04:46 AM)
here's the question: how can we avoid fraud in-between?

someone could run away with our money, scammers would love to see this thread thrive.
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Very important point. That's why I'm not going to impose myself as the treasurer (furthermore I don't think I'm the right person since I'm actually not a malaysian citizen). Anyway, the treasurer needs to be a respectable, known figure within the community. If an association, such as redesign malaysia for instance, could back this initiative, that would help establish needed trust to raise funds. Is there actually any customer right's activist or association in this country?

QUOTE(SeeD @ Jul 27 2007, 07:29 AM)
It's not like tmnet has the right to sue you if all the contents in the advertisement is very accurate and doesn't show any immaturity actions like screamyx, steemyx, and etc.
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That's correct. As I mentioned it before, if we come up with an ad, it must be professional. Professionally written and appealing design. No point going through all these efforts to publish rants.

QUOTE(heroes99 @ Jul 27 2007, 03:10 PM)
My advice = get some up coming hot shot politician to do this ..they love this kind of action ...champion the underdogs ...

though the ad will not do much , but it will a message to the top management that we are mean business and after couple of time full page ..the cabinet might step in smile.gif
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That's a very good suggestion. We shouldn't limit ourselves to just one action. Let's not forget our primary goal here is to get as much publicity about the problem as possible.

Running a full-page advertisement in a mainstream newspaper is one option. Get politicians to join in to support customer's rights is another one that we should not exclude. It's actually complementary if we want to go further than just making noise about the issue. It also has that "double effect", as you said, to bring free coverage from the media. It's a free option moreover, but we need network here. We need to get in contact with such a politician, one that is willing to fight for its compatriots rights.

QUOTE(Airwave @ Jul 27 2007, 09:42 PM)
How about all of us wearing T-shirt written "TMNet lousy service provider"? We have a gathering near TMNet's booth at KLCC PC Fair.
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I would be eager to support this action as well. Public protest during a major gathering is a good way to draw people and media attention. Wear tshirt, bring big signs, distribute brochures, welcome people to sign a petition. That's the kind of action the media would be very likely to report on. Now, it's not about messing with TM Net's booth or disturbing the event, but doing it with respect. We want more people to support us, not be against us, right?

QUOTE(Moogle Stiltzkin @ Jul 27 2007, 09:53 PM)
PS: i would also be wary since the gov recently announced the death to freedom of speech on the internet especially for bloggers. If you put in the ad defaming tmnut they could possibly sue you for defamation o_O; ....
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Sometimes you have to stand up for your rights, and not let others bully you. Anyway, any action to be taken has to be smart. No defamation, keep it to facts, raise questions, do not draw conclusions.


Anyway, we are not bound to just one action, but we need to join our force and get something done, else nothing will change. I think all your concerns are legitimate. Nothing prevents us from starting gradually. Let's get petitions and demonstration running first, if it can build confidence within the community. If anyone knows journalists, let's try to get our stories in the media, but I'm talking about a real article here; investigation journalism, not a couple of paragraphes quickly threw in to fill in a page.
TSCed
post Jul 30 2007, 01:11 PM

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http://www.petitiononline.com/bbb4my/petition.html

Can anyone tell me how old this petition is and if it has been submitted to the media? I couldn't find any mention of it anywhere.

I was considering setting up a new petition. Two reasons to do so:

- have a "support for protest" to get media coverage (it is much easier to get the press to write on TM issues if we have thousands of people backing a complain, instead of just one person making noise)
- estimate the financial viability of a newspaper ad.

Another thought on the ad: it can be the petition itself, or we can build an ad around the petition (i.e. "10000 people have expressed their concerns about TM Net poor service. We, the undersigned, no longer want promises, we demand actions." That can be followed by all the petition signatures ala Firefox ad in the Times -or not if you guys don't want it-, concise bullet list of major issues with the service).

Anyone willing to help, please pm me. thanks.
TSCed
post Jul 30 2007, 10:33 PM

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QUOTE(nwk @ Jul 30 2007, 08:33 PM)
after 3 pages, they only know how to talk. do they have enough testicular fortitude for action or they only know how to talk themselves to death?
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QUOTE(billytong @ Jul 30 2007, 09:14 PM)

Agree, have they ever consider that the opposition might sue them for misleading, brand damaging and etc?

IMO, You need qualified, certified professional to prove you are right in each statement you claim.
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I find it funny that the ones who complains nothing has yet been done are the same who haven't done anything so far.

Going down the road takes time, especially if we want it to be a success. Sorry to deceive you, but I'm not going to rush things and jeopardize this initiative as a result.

Once again, I want to make it clear: there won't be any defaming information published. We'll keep it to facts, we won't draw any conclusion either, but raise questions. Read again my previous posts if you want to know more.


Added on July 30, 2007, 10:46 pm
QUOTE(rajulkabir @ Jul 30 2007, 07:58 PM)
If you do your research carefully, and write:

CODE
We sampled 500 Streamyx lines in 10 cities, and found:

14% of them were out of service for at least 5 days last month
62% of them had sustained packet loss of XYZ
85% of them had a data rate of less than XYZ
0% of them gave the data rate that TMnet advertises


This is not defamation and you cannot lose in court.

It is is very important to use facts, to stay away from subjective language, to be crystal clear in what you are describing, how you know it is true, and why it is unacceptable. Not only does it protect you from libel suit, but it makes a persuasive case that TMnet cannot possibly rebut.
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That's a very good idea. I like how the problem is layed out, it's concise and clear. The only drawback I see, would be to perform such a survey. To generate these statistics, we must use the same methodology for each sample, which pretty much means we need deploy tools and human resource over the sampled area. Or... we need guinea-pigs and a good set of instructions smile.gif


Added on July 31, 2007, 11:46 pmAnyone willing to help, please PM me so that I start a workgroup and add you to it.

First tasks will be to launch a petition to measure TM Net unpopularity, list grievances, gauge financial viability of the ad, and come up with design and copy writing drafts for it.

This post has been edited by Ced: Jul 31 2007, 11:46 PM
TSCed
post Aug 4 2007, 07:35 PM

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QUOTE(sharkteef @ Aug 4 2007, 06:27 PM)
redesign malaysia is good. There are many from lowyat forums. Impact alot. accomplishments alot. Knowledge given also alot.
best to see foryourself. head on over to their website. This is lowyat's forum. u wont get much info from here as u get over there. I always believe if you wanna know something bout someone, juz ask that someone instead of going elsewhere to ask.
Its like asking a honda showroom saleperson bout a toyota car.
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Althought I like and support redesign malaysia efforts, their initiatives are not comparable. From what I can grasp from their website (I'm no insider), their efforts are mostly directed to internet access in malaysia as a whole. They keep people up to the date with fresh news, list ISPs, have a nice service coverage map, present problems encountered with some ISPs and... well, that's pretty much all they do (or they fail to communicate about their other initiatives).

Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing them in any way. But their efforts are pretty limited when it comes to port the debate outside of the internet. To me, they are only listing problems and giving some advices. We need to go further and bring the problems to the masses, to the general public. Get more media coverage, launch initiatives that demands action from the relevant parties (ISPs, government, etc.). So far, all we got are promises, and that's the heart of the problem.

I haven't seen any list of grievances, any clear manifestation from subscribers to stand for their rights. All I can find is isolated people complaining about ISP, mostly as rants. That's not going to help, unfortunately. If we want things to change, there is only one way to succeed: we need to unite, to join our forces and speak as one.

I proposed one initiative. Some people liked it, others didn't. Well, that's not the most important, we're not tight to a specific action if it doesn't attract a compromise between us. However, it's high time to do something, build the foundation for further actions and get our rights respected.

What I propose to do is:

- first create an association (speaking as an association will give us much more credibility -being more realistic, it'll start as a group, but we should aim to make it an official association)
- limit this association/group to a specific target/problem (we can expand later as we grow). I think limiting it to TM Net is a good start.
- get affected people to join the association as a member.
- list, in the form of a petition, all affected persons, _as well as_ their grievances (that's very important)
- send out press release about the petition to all media (press, radio, television). I've found 2 such petitions so far but none of them were actually sent to the media, they only collected signatures, which is pretty much useless.
- plan actions, such as booth or distribution of brochure during popular events such as the PC Fair.
- and more as we grow.

But one essential thing to remember: if no one wants to join in and help, nothing will happen.

For the ones wondering what happened to that newspaper full-page advertisement proposal, well it's on stand by since no one join in. Can't put up a community initiative if no community is being formed. One person doesn't make a community just by himself.
TSCed
post Aug 11 2007, 03:38 AM

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QUOTE(JoshLim @ Aug 10 2007, 01:20 AM)
Ced: Josh here from RedesignMalaysia. Glad that a few of you like what we're doing, much appreciated.

I think we have similiar goals and thoughts in mind,

I first mooted the idea of having a media campaign at the beginning of the year 2007:
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=411558&hl=
http://www.redesignmalaysia.com/2007/01/15...nd-in-malaysia/

I'll love to contribute where I can. In the meantime, I'm using Advertlets for awareness, out of my own expense (you'll see these ads currently running on blogs using the Advertlets.com platform for advertising - yes, I also own Advertlets, but bloggers don't run the ads for free smile.gif ) See them below:

user posted image
user posted image
user posted image

One of the more recent RedesignMalaysia ads got 460 clicks, in only two days. This was for the "Did you know there are more than 16 different ISPs in Malaysia?"

In fact, we could probably run an "open invitation" ad, <b>where we invite people to donate to buy media, like what you mentioned.</b>

I'll be happy to assist with publicizing the initiative through Advertlets, sponsoring some cash, as well as helping to buy the media (I can get the prices for various media, including newspapers).

However, something we need to think about, as pointed out by the65thsquare - the larger media agencies might not run the ad for obvious reasons. We might need to resort to giving out flyers and stickers. Thinking out of the box, even wearing a T-shirt with some useful info might help. Other media to consider: video screens, posters, Google Adsense, banners that bloggers can put on their site, outdoor media (eg billboards).

Having said that though, even getting this initiative off the ground could resort in some media attention. Imagine the headline "1000 Malaysian Tech Enthusiasts Buy Ad Space To Protest The Lack Of Proper Broadband Facilities". Of course, we need a better title than that, that's too long. Haha.

coyouth: Its been a year since RedesignMalaysia launched, and yes, some people question what its actually doing. We don't have a media budget, but we've managed to get on NTV7 (The Breakfast Show - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptgXooZNg7Q), The Edge (http://readthisurl.com/josh+redesignmalaysia), and of course Surf Magazine and In Tech, and the New Straits Times.

Right now we're focusing on media awareness, and you'll be surprised what our primary channel is - search engines.

http://www.redesignmalaysia.com/presskit/infocard.pdf

Check out the search terms that we are optimized for. Search accounts for a lot of our traffic, and primarily, our aim is to help people who are looking for that kind of information, by existing in the first place. We aim to do some real life campaigning soon, especially since we are coming to the first anniversary of the site (it was launched 31 August 2006). We're also in the process of putting together a detailed manifesto, so all contributions are welcome.

Just so you know, the blogging is done by mainly me, scamboy is also a contributing editor, and the rest of the back end work is handled by my company at my own cost (hiring interns, customizing wordpress, compiling data, etc). There is no funding for this project, and it does cost us quite a bit actually. The ISPs listed in the ISP section are not paying a cent at the moment. Thankfully though, its opened doors for us to meet various ISPs and even government agencies, so hopefully one day one of those discussions will result in something fruitful.

Having said all this though, I started RedesignMalaysia to accomplish a goal - make broadband here better, and I can't do it alone. I propose we all meet up to discuss this further, to see how we can contribute in our various ways. Cheers.
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Hey Josh,

I will get back to you as soon as I got some free time. I think we can do a lot together. Broader media coverage is the key, let's work on that.

It's good to see some people do take the initiative smile.gif
TSCed
post Aug 20 2007, 03:07 AM

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QUOTE(Thunderbolt @ Aug 19 2007, 04:06 AM)
Ced, you have my vote!

Just leave those people who are skeptical or think this cant be done mindset in the corner. When no one are doing anything, someone will say "someone should do that" or "we need to do something" and now when someone is here to do it, who is not our citizen, for god sake, people started to question his idea.

I think the most suitable time to strike is on next Election. That is the time when all those leaders who will move their asses and suddenly becomes hardworking, well, until he get elected. Its about time we had enough of this crap for such a long time.

No vote for government if they still want to let TMnut taking our money with terrible services!
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I agree.

Teaming up with redesign malaysia, and get as many people as possible to help. Advertising will be for later though, as we need to build solid foundation for any further action. I'm preparing a survey as well as a more refined petition, so that we can better measure the problems we are facing and popular support any action will require. Will post updates here when I can.

Speaking of the election, we definitely need to form a lobby group to sensitize politicians on internet access issues (and more globally, on consumer's rights protection). I'm sorry I have a complete lack of knowledge when it comes to malaysia politics. You help would be very valuable.

ced

 

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