Tete-A-Tech

The Last Word on Malaysian broadband... uncut + final cut

Nov 4, 2009 13:10

My very first blog for CNET Asia was on February 5, 2007. And I wrote about broadband. I wrote about how lousy the broadband was. How expensive it was for the slow speeds. The only thing that it didn't have was expletives. Which circa 2009 nowadays is usually how I talk about the broadband in this country. Expletives, uttered in a resigned tone. For the last two years, I have written at least six or seven blogs about the hopeless state of broadband in this country. They're fabulous for my hits (which makes the CNET bosses happy), but I felt a constant sense of futility (and churning frustration) with each blog I wrote deriding the broadband quality in this country, deploring the monopolistic landscape of the industry, and railing against the incumbent provider, Streamyx.



The source of my frustration was simply the lack of effect it had. My PR friends talk about how they have to nowadays make an effort to court every bleeding blogger out there, no matter how insignificant they are. They talk about how the bloggers have this absurd potential power that cannot be ignored. Yeah, well try writing about broadband and Telekom Malaysia. Then no matter how big your soapbox is and how loud you shout in cyberspace, and no matter how many bloggers, influential and otherwise, heap steaming hot piles of poopy scorn and vituperative on Telekom Malaysia, it makes no difference. THEY DO NOT CARE.

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Screaming in cyberspace...

Oct 20, 2009 11:27

...Seems to be a waste of time when it comes to the Government of Malaysia. Because it appears they're rather deaf when it is about what the citizenry has to say, when it's not being said in the mainstream publications.

Witness the Government's decision to engage in a joint venture with several well-known businessmen to form a Formula 1 racing outfit (with the inspired name of "One Malaysia Formula One"). I have a small Facebook circle (under 100 real friends--everyone else is there for me to play Mafia Wars!) and my little informal evaluation of this idea was that most people of my demographic group (urban, educated, taxpayers!) thought it was a terrible idea, and a huge waste of money.

How did I arrive at this conclusion?

In a very unscientific way.

I placed a status message in my Facebook profile stating that I thought a Malaysian Formula 1 racing outfit was a bad use of taxpayers' money. I then monitored the comments and number of thumbs up that I got for the comment. I then did a search on Twitter to see what the trend of Tweets was on the subject (mostly neutral and links to the news). Then I did a Google Blog search--which, again, was mostly negative in terms of the blog entries. I then checked the comment section in the op-ed pieces of online publications like MalaysianInsider on this subject.

Does that mean the Government should have just chucked the idea? Absolutely not. What my little digital poll suggested was that the Government had either not done a good job selling the idea, or it needed to show more benefits from implementing the idea beyond whatever it had already used as justification. So it needed to do some better selling and better PR. But no, the authorities steamrolled ahead with the idea, despite the very obvious lack of public support or positive sentiment among what could be argued as the audience demographic likely to benefit the most but also bear the most cost of such an endeavour: Malaysian Netizens.

Formula 1 is not exactly a low-tech business, but it is a high technology business, involving very specific technical skills. Ignoring the audience that is high-tech (as opposed to low-tech, such as people in the rural areas) doesn't seem smart. Furthermore, the high-tech audience (assuming they are mostly represented among the middle class and upper middle class) are going to be bearing most of the cost of this project via their taxpayer ringgits. So the Internet audience represents the proportion of the public that is going to pay for the project, and arguably be the first to get any benefits (i.e. jobs).

Why ignore their concerns and reservations, and take heed of their opinions? Why does the Government not see the need to address this slice of the population's concerns, AND do so through the medium in which this audience regards as more acceptable and, more importantly, credible, i.e. online publications like MalaysianInsider and Malaysia-Today?

Recently, The Nut Graph ran an article about how a government minister wrote an email response to an article it wrote. In the story, the writers expressed surprise at getting a response, because the norm is for government ministers not to respond to anything written on the Internet (or questionably, to even respond, period). This is, in my view, a rather damning testament of the Government's inability to listen to the digital populace and to respond to criticisms that appear in media that they do not control absoutely.

A lot of this seems to stem from the viewpoint of the Government that the Internet is not credible and everything on the Internet cannot be trusted and believed. The concept seems to be that by paying attention to what is on the Internet, or responding to what is on the World Wide Web, the Government thinks it is legitimizing and lending credibility to the Internet (and by implication, indicating that the evil critics throwing digital brickbats are somehow right or somehow have a valid opinion).

Indeed, the Home Minister recently declared in a press interview that he would not give an interview to the editor of Malaysia-Today on the basis that he regarded the alternative media as
lacking credibility, compared with The Star newspaper. "The alternative
media have been doing a lot of spinning. Some are truths, while others are half-truths and outright lies."

Hmm, pot calling the kettle black, I say.And why then does the Home Minister have a Facebook page? Or is social media not the same as alternative media? (Read: It's okay to adore me online, but anything else is not acceptable?)

In that interview, the Home Minister was discussing, among other things, a very important issue of crime in Malaysia. Now, given that urban populations (and by extension, the more digitally inclined, more Internet-savvy, and more likely to supplement their traditional media reading with online media/alternative media) are the ones most affected by crime, the Home Minister's blatant disregard for alternative media seems a bit strange.

If the Home Minister wishes to make sure that Malaysians (especially urban ones) understand what he is doing to reduce crime and, more importantly, appreciate his commitment to the issue of lowering crime rates, surely he would chose to engage the public via as wide-ranging and as broad a channel of communication as possible?

Further, media credibility is not something that is defined by the speaker; it is defined by the reader/listener/viewer. If the public regards the medium as lacking credibility (which appears to be the general view of Malaysian newspapers among urban Malaysians), the Minister cannot give it credibility just by declaring that he thinks it is more credible.

You go to the source that people trust, not dictate the source as credible and so expect people to trust it. Surely, if the Home Minister would gain more credibility and respect for his policies by
speaking to Malaysia-Today, he should do just that?

Indeed, I think the Home Minister would receive quite an education if he were to browse Facebook pages (as opposed to just putting up his press releases on his profile) and look at a certain video of a police officer intimidating a member of the public and read the comments of average Malaysians in response to the incident (Search "rude police stopped a harmless lady" on Facebook). It is telling of the state of mind of most Malaysians when it comes to what they think about the police and crime.

Is it smart, indeed, wise for the Government to ignore digital conversations just because it happens to take place in a medium that the authorities regard as hostile toward them? Is it
smart for Government to decide it has completely no interest in what the online audience says because it's all spin or because it doesn't sound nice to their sensitive ears? Can the Government afford to exhibit such disinterest in its own brand (in this case, the 1 Malaysia brand) when international brands are now including monitoring of online and social media as part of their standard daily brand monitoring and engagement? Has the Government forgotten its own admission that it has lost the battle when it comes to cyberspace? Shouldn't a closer monitoring and responsiveness toward what is being said and talked about on the Internet be part of the Government's approach toward gaining the trust and support of the public for its policies and decisions?

In between Google Blogs and Twitter, Governments of today have an incredibly powerful tool to tap into the political consciousness and sentiment of a variety of sections of the public. Again, not so much to make decisions or determine what action, but to sample the public's opinion about its ideas or viewpoints, and then adjust or modify its stance (or simply provide more information or education) on the particular action or decision.

In the US, polling is often something that the US President takes into account when it comes to making decisions about important legislation or governmental development. (At least, that's what they tell those of us who watch The West Wing.) Indeed, Prez 2.0 Obama himself seems to make it a point to show that he's listening not just to what the public is saying, but what they are blogging, tweeting and Facebooking about his policies. In the UK, polls are also given due regard by the Government. For example, the YouGov poll is often cited in many political analysis pieces and seems to be a poll of some influence. In Malaysia, we have the Merdeka Polling Centre, although I personally regard the results as somewhat suspicious because the sample size usually tends to be rather small and polls published in the local media must be discounted on the basis of who owns the newspapers.

I'm not saying that polls, tweets, blogs and Facebook conversations should entirely influence the Government's actions, legislative or otherwise. These, like the infamous coffeeshop talk, hawker
center chatter and taxi driver opinions, represent at best an informal, inexact snapshot of that nebulous creature called public sentiment. But they are an invaluable opportunity and means by which to get a grasp of the "voter's pulse" as it were, alongside other mediums like the newspapers, and talking to constituents.

It's somewhat mindboggling that the Malaysian Government doesn't seem to see the power of these tools to help it in its cause of winning back the public, or at least keeping itself in
touch with the ground as it were.

After all, YB, why turun padang (go down to the field) when you can achieve the same goal by naik Internet?

Malaysia-Today down - Is this Malaysia's own Pentagon Papers? (Update 2)

Sep 18, 2009 15:59

Updated September 21 - 11pm - the site is functional. A little slow, but appears to be up to date.Unfortunately, the truth behind the situation (server glitch or something more sinister) seems to be elusive. In the bloggosphere, the implication is that an official block by the MCMC is in place. See entries at the Malaysian Media Matters blog and Melvin Mah's blog 'A Little Taffer's Room'. However, there is some argument that the block may have ended because the government has decided that it will go after the leaker of the documents as opposed to the publisher of the documents.

In the meantime, a mirror site has been set up here to counter the alleged block. In addition, the webmasters of Malaysia-Today have provided clear instructions on how to get around the alleged block using proxy servers.

The public holiday of Eid is making it extremely difficult to actually verify if there is any truth to the allegation that the MCMC is blocking access of M-Today. There is no official statement from the government that a block is in place and so far, there hasn't been any actual blog post I can find that explains how the block is taking place (indeed,one line of thinking is that the M-Today server is down rather than a block taking place). Clarification may only emerge post the Eid celebration.

--

Update #1

18 September, 11.52pm - the site is back up but somewhat slow. At this point, allegations that the Malaysian Government or the Malaysia Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) blocked the site due to the appearance of classified Cabinet Papers on the site are not able to be verified (see the story at Malaysian Insider here), partly because we are on the eve of a major public holiday-weekend (Eid/Hari Raya).

---

Original post:

The Malaysia-Today Web site is down. (image captured at 3.56pm, Malaysia time).


Is this because a set of controversial confidential Cabinet Papers were
published on the Web site by Raja Petra Kamaluddin (RPK)?Is this our very own Pentagon Papers?

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Going green? Good Luck with THAT

Sep 7, 2009 01:18

So I'm a writer. Which basically means the nature of my job requires that I engage in a number of un-environmentally friendly acts.


Like printing 120 pages of scripts.


Or six versions of the same document, each one slightly edited.


Now, I do feel guilt at such acts. Which is why I have trained myself in the art of reading PDFs whenever I have to read a screenplay (although I still prefer printing it out). And I've found a friend who works at a wasteful not-to-be-named media outlet. She collects the one-side printed paper (quality paper they use, too) and donates it to me for my printing activities.


I recycle as much paper as I can (and glass and plastic). I try not to shred unless I can help it.


And because I print a lot, I also use up a lot of printer cartridges. So for the last four months, I've had a bagful of HP printer cartridges rattling around in the boot of my car. My intention was to drop them off at a store in a shopping mall near my house for recycling. This is because according to the HP Web site, it has a store in the mall that will accept these recycled cartridges. The problem is the mall is huge and everytime I'm there, I forget about the bagful of cartridges.


So, I finally get to lug the bag of cartridges to the store and discover that it has no idea about any recycling program. So back the cartridges go into the boot of my car (technically causing my car to consume more petrol and be more environmentally damaging). Until I find time to call HP and find out where I can put the cartridges.


So, on Thursday, I finally had me some time and make a quick visit to the HP Malaysia Web site.


I find the phone number for the HP Planet Recycle hotline. Great, I think to myself. I call the number.


It's been disconnected. I try again, thinking I may have hit the wrong digits.


So, I go back to the Web site. Look for the corporate HQ's number. Call that number. Get a receptionist. She bounces me to the hotline for customer service.


The customer service woman points out that I have the wrong number and I need to call the HP Planet Recycle number. By this point, I'm somewhat annoyed. Why is she telling me to call a number that isn't working? Does she not realize that I have already tried that?


So I tell her I've tried it. She repeats the number (just to make sure we're both on the same page). Ah huh. Already tried it. She's then stumped and has no idea where to direct me. So I tell her, never mind, I'll call HQ's number again.


So it's back to HQ. And the same receptionist answers the call. When I tell her that I need to speak to someone who can tell me where to RECYCLE my print cartridges, she instantly whizzes me off to...


Printer Cartridges Sales hotline. (Number was also on the Web site. Why does she think I didn't call that?)


Conversation goes (roughly) along these lines:


Person on line: Hi, [insert phone script for welcoming customer]. What kind of cartridge do you need?


Me: (very irritated now). No, I don't want to buy a cartridge. I want to recycle my cartridges. You people have been giving me the runaround and I've spent 15 minutes of my time now trying to get a very simple question answered. (Paraphrasing, but you get the gist).


Person on line (now irritated as I have raised voice): Ma'am, I'm trying to help you here, okay?


So at this point, I was well and truly pissed. I had Googled the Web site, made the call to a number that didn't work, browsed the Web site again, looked for the corporate HQ number, made two more phone calls, waited to have call answered, dealt with two people, one of whom was borderline rude... and STILL I had no answer.



It was time to make use of that wonderful word I had learnt from my marketing buddies.


Say it with me, people: ESCALATE.


Escalation 101: Google managing director [name of company you are pissed off with].


I get the name.


Call corporate HQ number again. Ask for MD. Get connected to MD's office (shock shock). Speak to MD's secretary. MD's secretary actually volunteers a ton of information (shock shock again--I mean, it's good that she told me all that stuff, but I was also wondering, good lord, why is she telling me, a total stranger, all this stuff?).

So I end up with the email address of the Imaging and Printing Group (IPG) country manager (am still trying to figure out why the country manager doesn't handle the Imaging and Printing Group  (IPG) but figured that was just some funky structure they have at HP), and the email address of the PR person.


Send off email. Here it is reprinted verbatim:

Dear Mr Viswanath,


Today, I spent 20 minutes attempting to find out information about where to recycle my HP printer cartridges. And guess what--after 20 minutes of browsing Web sites, calling up 1800 numbers, and calling up the HP office in KL twice, I was no wiser, and the environment no better off. Indeed, I had to resort to calling the office of Mr T.F. Chong, the MD of HP, in order to find out an answer. And even then, I got no answer, nor was anyone able to refer me to anyone who could answer this question.


There is a prominent reference to recycling and environmentally conscious behavior as a consumer on HP's cartridge packaging. But attempt to find a place to recycle your cartridges and you'll be turned away from countless HP shops, as I have discovered. And it would seem, HQ is as much of a lame duck and headless chicken as your customer service lines. Btw, you have a 1800 number for HP Planet Recycle on the Malaysia Web site. It's a pity it doesn't work. Not to mention incredibly embarrassing for a Fortune 500 company.


I am incredibly annoyed by the waste of time that I've had to endure just to find out some very basic information. I am also incredibly appalled at the lack of commitment to recycling that HP Malaysian has shown, given that HP as a company, has generally been extremely conscious about the need to go green and be environmentally conscious.


"HP is a company that has never thought conventionally about its role in the world. We have always believed that with global reach comes global responsibility."--Mark
Hurd


Just to let you know, I am a blogger for CNET Malaysia, writing about technology issues in Malaysia. This certainly will be making my blog this week.

Aside note: Usually, I don't like to use the blogger soapbox to push a point because I do think that as bloggers, we should not abuse our power, although it usually is not as influential as people think. But in this case, I felt strongly enough about the issue to brandish this particular credential in order to see what the reaction would be and just because I wanted a bloody answer! Any NORMAL consumer by this point would entirely have given up on the search and would simply have either thrown the cartridges into the rubbish bin or offered them up to the second-hand print cartridge refilling services. I know many companies actually do this for lack of an alternative. In turn, this ends up actually creating problems for companies like HP because those cartridges end up being refilled and resold as "alternative printer cartridges" that are cheaper than original cartridges.


So, that evening, Mr Viswanath swiftly replies. His email, below verbatim:

At the outset I thank you for writing to me on this issue. I appreciate the efforts taken by you as a very conscious and aware consumer.


I've followed up to check on the issue you have raised and appended here is the listing of the stores you could drop your used cartridge off and also the correct phone number to use.


I regret that you had to spend time and to efforts and still not get the right and quick answer to what you were looking for.


Thanks for your inputs. It is inputs like this that keep us improving.


Warm regards


Viswanath P V

Below his email was a reply from his colleagues as follows:

The correct number is not a 1800 number its is

Contact HP Customer Care


Centre at 03 91731998


The Web site is http://h20423.www2.hp.com/program/suppliesrecycling/my/en/supplies/index.asp



Here are the OCS stores, consumer can return cartridges (see attached)


If you do a google search: HP cartridge recycling ... you see the (HP Ink cartridge) HP Malaysia Web site... you click on supplies recycling (see attached).

Attached to his email was a screen capture to show the correct Webpage that I should have referenced from my search.


Unfortunately, I had already seen the page and that particular list of suppliers when I looked into the recycling matter some months ago. But to provide HP with the benefit of the doubt, I called one of the suppliers (the same one I had walked into some time back and who had indicated he knew nothing about the recycling program). The guy who picked up the phone knew nothing about a recycling program, as I suspected.


So, off the reply goes to Mr Viswanath which goes along the lines of "Sir, your info is out of date. AGAIN."


I couldn't help but add a snarky point at the end of the email, recalling my print cartridge supplier's lament that HP cartridges have yet again gone up in price (apparently the second or third price hike).

"But that being said, the fact that your staff don't know that this guy is no longer accepting recycled cartridges in his store, and he's still listed under the program, says a lot about the level of commitment to this issue. Has anyone from your organization actually bothered to even check and see if this list is actually valid? I'm not out to cause trouble. But given the fact that HP has actually raised the price of cartridges in the last two months significantly, you'd think you guys would be able to put some of that money towards doing something for the planet, no?"

So I WAS going to blog about it on Friday, but something came up. And then at around 2pm on Friday, I get a phone call. From a very nice lady at HP (Melonie Sta Maria) who is the marcom manager for the Imaging and Printing Group (IPG). She apologizes profusely for the whole cock-up (I almost felt embarrassed at how much apologizing was going on and even felt a bit bad for having been so mean to them) and explains to me that they DO have a program for picking up recycled cartridges and that she will send me an e mail with the details and more.


Here is her email verbatim (in case anybody else out there wants to find out what to do with their cartridges).

Hi Bernice,


It was my pleasure speaking to you earlier. Once again thank you for your feedback and my sincere apologies for all the hassles you went through. To re-cap our phone conversation, here are the information. 1) We have replaced the 1-800-383-878 with the following number 03 9173 1998. You may also visit the following link

http://h20423.www2.hp.com/program/suppliesrecycling/my/en/supplies/individual.asp.


Unfortunately we had missed the revision in the link you visited. We are in the midst of having the number rectified and will be resolved by end of the day, today.


Please contact 03 9173 1998 for your pickup arrangements during office hours from Mon to Fri.


2) Also, as mentioned we do have the recycling bins located in our Service Ctr on the ground level of HP Towers, 12 Jalan Gelenggang, Bukit Damansara. (Office hours from Mon Mon to Fri) I have copied Livan Bai, Account Manager of Hill & Knowlton in this mail as she will be able to follow up on our meeting next week. Looking forward to meeting you. Have a great weekend

So, we got to chatting about why they are having problems with implementing a recycling program. Dealer commitment to the cause appears to be a problem. I pointed out to her that I understand the dealers regard the recycling box as an annoying space-consuming inconvenience, but I told her that given most consumers would, if they cannot find a place to recycle the cartridges, give them to the second-hand print cartridge refillers, it's in HP's interest (and the dealer's interest?) to promote and encourage cartridge recycling, thereby reducing the number of refillable cartridges available out there (and thus, in a sense, ensuring that people buy original cartridges).


I was actually quite surprised to hear that HP chose to focus on an educational campaign (why using original cartridges is good for your printer) alone, instead of combining it with a green campaign. But perhaps it is true that we Malaysians are generally not a very environmentally conscious group. I don't actually believe that is the case because I do know a number of people who make it an effort not to print out emails if they can and avoid using plastic bags.


But given that HP isn't really getting bulging bins full of printer cartridges, it does raise the possibility that we're polluting hoi pollois. I think it's more that recycling printer cartridges hasn't exactly been a hugely convenient exercise and so most people don't bother. Especially when the second-hand print cartridge sellers are willing to industriously come to offices and collect these used cartridges off corporations.


Somewhere in the middle of the conversation, it transpired that HP actually has a box for recycled print cartridges in its building, which is located next to Menara Manulife (which I'm familiar with as that's where my gym was).


I was just gobsmacked. In the three phone calls that I made, each time mentioning that I wanted to find out how to recycle my print cartridges, not a single person I spoke to in the organization knew there was a box on their company premise itself, where an HP service center is located.


In a sense, I applaud the speed with which the IPG team got back to me and the initiative shown to get me the right information (and the very profuse apologies, although I am wary that that was more about the idea of not offending a crazy blogger than anything else. Note to HP people reading: I am a nice person. Really.) And the fact that I got a reply from the top man, and that this was handled swiftly down the ladder, has to be given credit. The response from the HP IPG team has been nothing short of stellar.


But the entire organization not knowing that there was a box right under their noses, which could have answered my question, seems quite frankly out of tune with a Fortune 500 company.


In a sense, it's the level of service awareness we've come to expect from Malaysian companies and this shows that even MNCs get infected with that good old Malaysian complacency after they have been here a while.


Like that lah, as we say in Malaysia.


What about the competition?

I did do a check on two other top-of-my-mind printer brands (Canon and Lexmark) as I wrote this article. Canon had a very prominent link on its front page under Customer Care titled "Locate Recycle Bins". Full marks.


Lexmark had no mention of recycling. Nor did Epson. I just checked the HP site again as I finished up this article. I Googled "HP Malaysia" and went to the Web site. Finding the recycling program was not possible within two to three clicks. Tried Googling "HP Malaysia recycle". Took me two to three clicks to find the right page with the corrected number as per what I had been given in the email.


From a usability standpoint, HP is making it difficult for customers to actually find a simple but environmentally significant piece of information. I should get this information the minute I land on a homepage. Not have to search around for it.


But at least, now, I won't have to burn more petrol rattling that bagful of cartridges in my car.

The idiot Malaysian politician's guide to cyberspace

Aug 18, 2009 23:25

A primer for the average Malaysian politician, who, being digitally clueless, needs Cliff-Notes on this all-important, election-deciding, king-making media, how they can make the most
use of it and how they can avoid sounding stupid in Parliament, the lobby of Parliament, and everywhere else, on this subject.

Guideline #1: Do not use the words "censor", "regulation" and "monitor" in the same breath as the words "Internet", "blog", "Web site" and "porn".

You will only invite criticisms, brickbats and countless gutter-snipping comments on the said blogs and Web sites that you feel need censoring. Among those comments will be that you are ketinggalan zaman, dictatorial and determined to take Malaysia back to the Dark Ages or just plain daft. This is not good for your public image to be seen as backward, not progressive-minded, reactionary, and determined to silence your critics (even if this is what you think). Contrary to popular misconception, your constituents back in the boonies will find out what is being said about you, even if they have no Internet access. They have grandchildren and friends who will be happy to show them all these mean remarks.

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