Kyle J. Brazil

Image by K@ja via Flickr

A little over a year ago, while in between jobs, I was running my parent’s small town gym. One day I received a call from the phone company trying to hawk some online advertising and web hosting bundle. After reiterating my reasoning for not wanting the services I was told that was fine but that they would like to update their directory information. Okay, I can along with that. The next five minutes were consumed with me speaking our business info into the phone after each harmless question. That seemed to be the end of it.

The major problem with all of this is that the call was not from anyone with the phone company. And my answers to those questions were not so harmless. The call was actually from a company called Ambonet. They were recording my info to set me up for a scam. Unbeknownst to me, they were about to start charging our business $29.95 per month right on the phone bill. (I’m still not sure how this is possible so AT&T must have something to do with it.)

Ambonet is, apparently, a tacky web hosting company “where anyone can create their own web presence without having to be a web ‘master.’” Besides that there isn’t much substance on the site. Just a bunch of generalized statements that would sound appealing to someone not very familiar with the web. To no surprise, their “Free Demo” link is broken. Basically, it’s a front. I’d like to speak with one person who actually utilizes their services.

When I learned of the charges I was livid. I immediately called the number listed on the bill. After one ring I was told that all operators were busy but my call would be answered soon. To my amazement, it actually was. Within seconds the guy could grasp how hot I was about the issue and, almost as a reflex, said, “Would you like to hear a recording of you confirming the purchase?” Of course I would. My jaw dropped when I heard what played. Yup, it was the recording of me reciting the business info.

Here’s where the major part of the scam comes in. The entire beginning and end of the call was completely falsified. It began with something along the lines of “Thank you for deciding to purchase web hosting through Ambonet. Please recite your billing information after each question.” The conclusion was “Thank for your purchase. The charges will be added to your phone bill.” Unfortunately, that’s not what was originally played to me. How do I know? Because at the time I was personally designing the site for the business and had already bought the domain and hosting. Also, I would never buy web hosting from some random person calling our office in the middle of the day.

They quickly cancelled our service but refused to refund any previously collected funds.

Now, I am a smart, tech savvy guy yet I still got duped. Had I been the one paying the phone bill I would have caught it sooner. But how many thousands of other small businesses are they doing this to? How many innocent mom and pop stores are being slapped with this charge? They’re being fed lines about what this company will do for their web presence without actually understanding exactly what is going on. Before they know it they’re being suckered out of thirty bucks a month for no good reason.

It’s time for Ambonet to stop abusing consumers and small businesses. A quick Google search shows a few negative mentions on some forums and a huge F grade from the Better Business Bureau. But that is not enough. They need to be continually reported to the attorneys general of every state where the charges have occurred. The National Association of Attorneys General website provides a nice map with links to the corresponding state sites. If you, or anyone you know, has been scammed by this company than please report them.

Companies like this give business a bad name.

Image via Wikipedia

A few months ago I wrote a post about why I thought it was taking Apple so long to launch streaming music. I chalked it up to perfection. Of the startups who had launched with the offering I noted that they were pretty unimpressive. At the time I was using MOG and said, “The web experience is sloppy, at best, and the iPhone app is sub-par. This is not just true of MOG but also of other similar services as well.”

I was wrong. Perfection is no longer an excuse because one company has done it right. That would be Rdio.

Fed up with the inadequacies of MOG I decided to give the seven day trial of Rdio a shot. Within two minutes I was sold on its superiority. It is everything I had wanted: super fast search and play, beautiful iPhone and web experience, and creates great artist based radio stations. There is a simple but functional social layer for music discovery. Playlists are easy to create and sync with your mobile device. There is even the ability to shuffle songs.

Since signing up things have only improved. The iPhone app was revamped, they released an app for Roku, integration with Sonos, and now a genuine Mac app that bests iTunes. All of this for the same $9.99 price I was paying before.

So, Rdio, I am sorry I put you on the same level as MOG. You are a cut above. You provide everything I could ask for in a streaming music service. Even if Apple finally launches their own subscription model I will be sticking around as a loyal user for quite some time.

Up until this point I have remained pretty mum on the issue of journalism on the web. That is simply not where my expertise lies. I know what I like to read when it comes to news: the tech blog usual suspects, The New York Times, and The Economist, combined with interesting finds from Twitter and Facebook. Beyond that, I have no other formal education in the subject but do have my opinions about what quality journalism is.

After reading Samuel Axon’s post about “new media” I agree with him that it is not real journalism. It is writing, sure. It is news (to some). But I don’t think it contains the hard thought, investigative, and informative reporting we regard as journalism. He also, rightly, points out that good reporting is not published quickly but takes time to put together. There is a phenomenal piece in the most recent Rolling Stone about why Wall Street is not in jail. Surely it took lots of hard work to craft.

There is a good chunk of my day consumed with ingesting this new media type of information and there is nothing wrong with that. But it seems to be a slap in the face for most journalist.

They entered their field because they wanted to expose the truth. They wanted to break stories nobody else was (no, not the oldest dog in America). They wanted to bring attention to issues that really mattered. They wanted to change the world.

Journalism on the web is simply not set up for that.

The web has become a vital source of information for most people. It is also a way for media firms to make money. Like Axon points out, there is no harm in that. Just call it what it is.

When newspapers were only in print they made their cash from classifieds, advertising, and subscriptions. When they moved online they needed a way to sustain the money making. Craigslist stole one part of their business so they turned to… advertising and subscriptions. The innovative thinkers said “Let’s put it on a tablet! We will be revolutionized!” Last I checked I wasn’t a fortuneteller but I don’t think it is going to work out very well.

Pageviews, catchy headlines, mass content, and social shares generate revenue. Good journalism was not founded on those principles.

It’s time for a truly out-of-the box business model where quality reporting can once again rise to the top.

Here’s my idea: make it free and widely available in all digital formats.

Right about now you’re probably thinking, “Isn’t that how it already is?” Well, yes and no.

I’m talking free, free. A nice, simply designed layout with zero ads. No space for commenting either. Maybe a couple sharing options sans the counters, who cares how many times it has been sent around?

“But that’s not how new media works!” you scream. And you’re right, of course. This isn’t new media. It is quality journalism. The reporter discovers a story, takes time to collect facts, puts their thoughts together in a well written manner for you to read, then you either agree and share, or disagree and shrug it off. In no way do you get to scream at the writer about how stupid they are, post “First!” (along with 30 other people), or somehow work in an iPhone v Android fight. You also won’t get an obnoxious offer for 50% off cupcakes you don’t need anyway.

“Well, that sounds fine and dandy,” you may say, “but how will it make money?” This is where it gets interesting.

Businesses all work pretty much in the same manner. If I start making widgets I must make money off those widgets one way or another, typically by selling them or slapping ads on them. That money allows me to hire more people and produce more widgets. I work on improving the widgets so more people want them or find a way for more people to see my widgets. Eventually I may branch out and produce a new type or different line of widget but the revenue process typically stays the same. No matter how much I care about my widget, it has to make money. That is the beauty of capitalism.

Unfortunately, this model doesn’t really bode well for journalism. Most of the best stories are not read by a majority of people like ones that are link bait may be. It discourages journalist from wanting to enter the field and from doing real reporting.

Well, what if journalism wasn’t about making money? What if we took the entire business model and tore it apart? What if there was a company that produced widgets for profit and a portion of the money went to fund an independent arm of high quality journalism?

Let me break it down with an example.

Say I own a clothing company. The point of my company is to produce designer jeans that are not only stylish and comfortable but where a chunk of the profit goes towards supporting a good cause. That cause is journalism. I would also independently own a media company with well qualified editors and reporters. They would get paid reasonable salaries and get to do what they dreamed of doing when journalism was just a twinkle in their eye.

Of course, the jeans would have to be sold at a premium to support the extra cash needed. But it may be a cause people could get behind.

The “publication” would not be in print and probably would only “publish” weekly, monthly, or quarterly. It would be distributed online, on tablets, e-readers, and what ever comes next. All for free. I’ll be damned if it didn’t turn out to be some of the best reporting you’ve ever read.

Of course, this is just an example. The business model doesn’t even have to be this outrageous. Maybe every huge media firm in the country could create one arm of solid journalism where the goal was not profit whatsoever. They could go right ahead and turn all their other media channels into traffic driving, ad selling, cash cows with posts written in minutes and links you would be a fool not to click. But that one special department got to do what they love and produce great content. No scary revenue monster breathing down their necks.

Sure, this idea isn’t perfect. “Independent” is never independent. The owner will inevitably hire people who align themselves with their thinking. That is where it would be important to have many of these types of reporting outlets, ensuring different viewpoints for different readers.

I may also be missing the economics of journalism and just how much it costs to produce. But I feel if the operations were ran tightly, it could be done.

It sounds a bit wild, a bit crazy. But I think that wild and crazy ideas are what it is going to take to save the legitimacy of a crippled industry.

The above speech, by Amber Case, is exactly what I have been obsessed with for the past year. I have been immersed in studying and trying to figure exactly how technology is changing us as humans. Prior to a few days ago I never knew how to easily sum it up. Now I have a beautiful term to describe what I have been focused on: cyborg anthropology.

My study of this topic is exactly what lead to the realignment of this blog. It is also what inspired me to start Reconnect Day.

Case’s site is quickly becoming a place where I am spending an increasing amount of time. My spirit has been ignited by knowing that I am not the only person out there that is fascinated with this area of research. In fact, she’s done far more than I could have ever dreamed. I now aspire to add to that and become an active part of the cyborg anthropology community.

Needless to say, I am very excited.