Social, network neutral ISP that could potentially own.
My email to them…
Hi,
I’m an avid supporter of network neutrality, open source, and especially your
specific business. I have long thought that an independent ISP that “did
things right” could win many geek customers, with many of your practices, even
with incredibly high prices (which I, and I’m sure many other dorks, are
certainly willing and able to pay). Copowi is definitely poised to win many
supporters, including me.
OpenDNS, in my opinion, has most perfected the attitude necessary to take on
what you have attempted, and there are a few things OpenDNS does really well
which I think Cowpowi could use as well. Let me explain a few.
-
Firstly, and most noticeable to people first coming to your site, is that
they have a beautiful site and logo, which both appear visually stunning and
clearly professionally devised. It seems apparent that while Copowi’s
services are great, the site and logo were a bit rushed (nothing wrong with
that, but it definitely would be nice to have something prettier). -
Advantages listed on the homepage. What are they? ‘Safer’, ‘Faster’ and
‘Smarter’ — identifiable instantly upon going to OpenDNS’s website. I feel
Copowi could better explain their advantages with more ease, by listing
something like “Assured Network Neutrality,” “Supporting Open-Source” and
similar things. -
Getting in contact is incredibly easy. On the support page, links to talk
via AIM and Yahoo! Messenger are both listed (on the side), as well as a
link to submit a support question. On the “About Us” page, there’s a link
to the contact page, blog, and even a “Meet the Team” page which lists every
employees personal email address and many of their personal sites. I had
trouble finding an address to send this message to (I know, this isn’t a
sales question, and it’s not a web dev question, but since both those link
to the same place, I figure it’s an acceptable location), so this would have
been invaluable. -
Status page. I’m sure a brand-new ISP may not have the best track record,
but I’d rather you be honest — I bet most of the nerd community would too. -
No stock photography. (Sorry, but please…)
-
Extensive knowledgebase. Hah, some pages even link to the Wikipedia, as a
true “Web 2.0” (or, in your case, “Web 3.0” :-/) ought to.
Overall, Copowi looks excellent, and I’m extremely excited for it to expand to
Texas, but I feel it could be slightly better, mostly by doing some of the
above, and some attention to detail.
Oh, and I felt like now would be a good time to announce some of my ideas for
what would make Copowi my dream ISP. Keep in mind, I am willing to pay more
for good service and reliably fast connections.
-
Heck, use OpenDNS as the default. It’s easy to ignore, can be used
anonymously, and is an absolutely great service. -
Explain exactly what open-source software you’re using; at the moment, I’m
-
Reliably fast. I pay plenty for my 6mbps connection, and the best I’ve ever
tested it at is 4.76mbps (usually around 2 to 3). Meh. -
Static IP addresses. Part of what I pay extra for now, I’d certainly like
to keep one. I am unsure why this should be particularly difficult to offer
on regular plans, but I’m a mere mortal.
These things are extremely valuable to me, and I suspect other geeks feel
similarly.
So, basically, I love what you’re doing. I will be relieved to switch when I
get the opportunity, and I have long waited for somebody doing what Copowi
appears to be preparing to do. I do, however, feel that with a slightly nicer
website and a few other things, there is a much larger potential for success.
Good luck,
Jeff Wheeler
