Dump Rogers Day, December 15 2005

2006-01-17T12:26:00.000-08:00

Not exclusive to Rogers Wireless but, here is a way to avoid paying for cell phone wall paper. http://cellwallpaper.blogspot.com has a selection of pictures that can be loaded on your cellphone.

Why pay when you can get a new picture for free?

2005-12-16T05:46:00.000-08:00

There appears to be an interesting conflict between various covenants users have with Rogers that makes me wonder if there may be grounds for a class action against Rogers for arbitrarily cancelling usenet service without compensation for the ongoing subscription costs to replace the service they cancelled.

While Rogers maintains that they reserve the right to cancel services like News Groups, their Acceptable Use policy that was inforce when the majority of us contracted services with Rogers clearly states that nntp is part of their service ofering. According to the Acceptable use policy posted on the Rogers site as of December 16 2005 The Usenet news service
and Rogers Yahoo! Groups features included with the Services are provided for interactive use by the subscriber,
using the Rogers Yahoo! Home or a commonly-available NNTP client such as Outlook Express or Netscape
Communicator.

At issue are the previous claims made by Rogers that news groups are not part of the service offering. Any lawyers looking fora class-action suit?

2005-12-16T05:29:00.000-08:00

2005-12-05T19:02:00.000-08:00

Someone mentioned on the ott.general newsgroup that Rogers is offering a one time rebate. Anyone else hearing similar tales?

2005-12-02T06:47:00.000-08:00

If you're resigned to the fact that Rogers is lowering the level of service to you without lowering your bill, It may be worth sending a note to the architect of this decision to cut Usenet service.

Send a polite email to Mr. John Munro Cheif Marketing Officer Rogers Communications Inc.

2005-12-01T19:19:00.000-08:00

After Weeks of discussion on the News Groups, on sites like; The Globe and Mail and Slashdot. Rogers has finally sent notice to thir "Valued Customers" that they are dropping important information tool from their service offering.

While they claim that there are alternatives to usnet groups, the suggestions they offer clearly indicate that Rogers has a very weak understanding of the importance of usenet when it comes to finding information related to a specific community of interest.

If you look closely at the alternatives Rogers puts forward to usenet, they are all Yahoo.ca branded sites which generate advertising revenue for Rogers.

While those familiar with Usenet newsgroups are able to put up with spam advertising, in exchange for free information exchange, the cut in service and shift towards an advertising based information exchange might give you reason to consider an alternative Internet Service Provider.

Dear Valued Customer

Please be advised that Rogers is discontinuing its Usenet service as of December 15, 2005.

Internet technology is constantly changing. Usenet was one of the earliest forms of user discussion on the Internet, but today has largely been replaced by blogs, instant messaging, personal web pages and other tools. As a result, fewer and fewer people are accessing Usenet.

Therefore, Rogers has decided to stop providing Usenet service to Rogers Yahoo! customers.

Alternatives

To stay at the leading edge of new technology, we’ve introduced new and better ways to communicate – all available at no additional charge to Rogers Yahoo! customers:

Instant messaging

http://ca.messenger.yahoo.com/

Groups

http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/

Personal web pages

http://ca.geocities.yahoo.com/

Blogs

http://360.yahoo.com/

Photos

http://ca.photos.yahoo.com/

Customers with a continuing desire to read or post Usenet text messages or who wish to access Usenet binary groups can subscribe to third-party Usenet service providers such as Giganews (our supplier up until the point when we discontinue Usenet) who offer a full Usenet service on a paid basis: http://www.giganews.com/

Once again, thank you for your loyalty to Rogers and your continued business.

- Rogers Yahoo! Hi-Speed Internet

2005-11-24T06:25:00.000-08:00

Contrary to what Rogers would like you to think, usenet provides a valuable resource for local information that quite frankly is not served by any single source.

Here are some good examples of local information that is served quite well by usenet, and are generally well moderated and free of porn, pirated software and other questionable material.

carleton.jobs
hamilton.jobs
calgary.jobs
tor.jobs
ott.jobs
ott.forsale.vehicles

2005-11-18T06:44:00.000-08:00

Dump Rogers makes the News

Jack Kapica at The Globe&Mail reports that “Rogers is removing a service without changing its rates, suggesting subscribers turn to portal technology controlled by Rogers/Yahoo, or to subscribe to an outside Usenet service — at extra cost.”

2005-11-16T09:41:00.000-08:00

In a move that has stunned long time internet users, Canada’s largest Broadband ISP has decided to terminate Usenet services.

Effective December 15, 2005 Rogers.com will cease to offer subscribers access to nntp servers which carry Usenet News groups. The announcement which was only made through a FAQ posted under the Usnet topic of the Rogers.com site, states that Usenet is an out dated mode of communication that has been replaced by; Blogs, Instant Messaging, Groups and Personal Web Pages.

Coincidentally, the alternative suggestions Rogers provides links to are all powered by portal technology controlled by Rogers/Yahoo.

For those of us who, recall the days of 1200 baud modems, this move to shift subscribers into a “Walled Garden” appears to yet another nail in the coffin of free and open communications, undermining the foundations of the Internet.

2005-11-15T10:56:00.000-08:00

What does Usenet Deliver?

In addition to spam, pornography, music, movies and software. Usenet is a valuable source for relevant information in a frank commercial free setting.

Anyone can use usenet newsgroups to find:
Jobs
Cars
Buy-Sell-Trade
Realestate

2005-11-15T10:43:00.000-08:00

Alternatives To Rogers Usenet Service

Rogers has made several suggestions as to alternative sources for newsgroups, what is curious is that their suggestions show a limited understanding of the power of community news groups that are not linked to a commercial site.

Does the decision by Rogers to Cancel one of the few, text based internet services indicate their preference for a "Walled Garden" internet service that limits content only to services that are vetted by the Internet Service Provider?

2005-11-15T09:48:00.000-08:00

Are you a Rogers Highspeed internet subscriber?

Did you know that Rogers has announced a new initiative that will essentially cut their customers off one of the foundations of the Internet?

For those only recently exposed to the Internet and withno knowledge of how information flowed prior to Mosaic, they may not be aware of the wealth of information available through usenet newsgroups, and the importance newgroups have in forming communities of interest and establishing connections amongst people.

According to the Rogers usenet FAQ, they will be terminating the usenet service effective December 15, 2005.