Google Plus (Read 1800 times)

Trent


Good Bad & The Monkey

    So far, meh.

     

    A social network is kinda useless when nobody you know is using it.

     

    Many are useless anyway.

      Facebook is ranked the 10th most hated company in the U.S.A., right up there with cable companies and airlines. What do these hated companies share in common? They all provide miserable customer service, but they're semi-monopolies so we don't have much choice but to patronize them.

       

      So the question is: can Google leverage this customer dis-satisfaction to gather enough defectors to create their own critical mass of dedicated users?  Only time will tell.  Being the top ranked social networking site is no guaranty of future dominance.  Just ask Myspace.

      How To Run a Marathon: Step 1 - start running. There is no Step 2.

      xor


        Just because I'm bored, here's the list.  Top 19 (19?!?) most hated companies.

         

        19.  Bank of America (haha, considering the credit card thread)

        18. Dish Network

        17. Cox Communications

        16. PG+E

        15. JPMorgan Chase (another company which recently lost my business)

        14. AT+T Mobility

        13. LA Department of Water and Power (ok, shit, at this point I call into question how the list was generated. Most hated by people in LA I guess)

        12. Long Island Power Authority (er... or not)

        11. United Health (a company which directly eff'ed me over... bastards)

        10. Facebook

        9. MySpace  (sold this week for $35 million)

        8. American Airlines

        7. United Airlines

        6. US Airways

        5. Charter Communications

        4. Comcast

        3. Time Warner Cable

        2. Delta

        1. Pepco  (Potomac Power)

         

        Interesting list.  As much as I hate facebook and make fun of myspace, they really don't belong in this list.

         

        In aggregate, people hate airlines and cable companies.  Only one insurance company, two banks, and random utility things.  Those utilities must be really REALLY bad to make a national list.  From this, I guess Direct TV > Dish.

         

          Interesting list.  As much as I hate facebook and make fun of myspace, they really don't belong in this list.

           

          In aggregate, people hate airlines and cable companies.  Only one insurance company, two banks, and random utility things.  Those utilities must be really REALLY bad to make a national list.  From this, I guess Direct TV > Dish.

           

          I agree.  I'm curious why facebook and myspace is on this list.  I tried  to read berner's link but my computer froze.  What are these rankings based on?  I use facebook all the time and I've never paid for anything (no fees to worry about) or never had to contact their customer service for any reason which I think would be two main issues people would use when ranking companies.   Maybe the people ranking these companies keep getting their friend requests denied.  Based on my experience, I can definitely see US Airways and Comcast on that list with the reasons being customer satisfaction/service and price. 

             I'm curious why facebook and myspace is on this list.

             

            Re: Facebook, from the article:

             

            A common complaint includes user's privacy and personal information protection. Social networkers worry about privacy and sometimes complain when Facebook introduces new features, like the news feed. Or when Facebook shuts down apps without warning users beforehand, like they did recently to tens of thousands of apps.

             

            I get it 100%.  I need to be on Facebook to interact with friends and family because there's no other viable alternative currently.  But I'm constantly fearful about the implications for my professional career.  When anyone can tag me in any photo, or write anything on my wall -- and it all gets instantly streamed to everyone in my friend list -- its quite annoying and unsettling.  Facebook's privacy options are a joke: either you are fully-exposed, or you simply have a static page.  There's nothing in-between.

             

            Google looks to be attempting to compete on the privacy front by offering much greater granularity in the privacy controls.  If I don't want to be tagged in someone's picture, that's my choice.  Or I can choose who see the picture (friends: yes, family: no).  Etc.  Sounds pretty damn attractive to me.  But again ... only time will tell.

            How To Run a Marathon: Step 1 - start running. There is no Step 2.

            gregw



              1. Pepco  (Potomac Power)

               

               

              This one is definitely deserved.

              LedLincoln


              not bad for mile 25

                Since several of those are regionally limited, I guess the list is based on the vehemence of the hatred, not on the number of people who hate the companies.

                zoom-zoom


                rectumdamnnearkilledem

                  Delta and BoA...yep.  We've had our issues with Charter, too...like when one of their drivers nearly ran me off the road because he was busy texting.  When I called to report the numbnut the CS woman really didn't apologize, said she couldn't actually track the driver to place blame (even though a buddy of mine who works for Time-Warner said all cable installation vans have GPS and it's reasonably easy to determine where a van was at any given time, especially in BFE where there wouldn't be numerous vans in service), but asked if I were a customer.  I said yes, figuring maybe they'd offer us a discount or free month or something to make up for my having to leap into a 3' snowbanked shoulder to avoid getting creamed.

                   

                  Nope, she just wanted to offer me more $$ services. Roll eyes

                  Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                  remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                       ~ Sarah Kay

                    Since several of those are regionally limited, I guess the list is based on the vehemence of the hatred, not on the number of people who hate the companies.

                     

                    While PG&E is, umm, rather unpopular in Northern California, I have a hard time believing anyone outside of NorCal feels much of anything about our utility co. 

                    4/14/24 Napa Valley 50k, Calistoga, CA

                    7/20/24 Tahoe Rim Trail 56 miler, NV

                    9/21/24 Mountain Lakes 100, OR


                    Am I doing this right?

                      I'm curious what the definition of "customer" is.  As a free service, what is Facebook obliged to offer me?  What do I have to complain about?  I chose to put whatever information they have on there.  They didn't force me to do anything.

                       

                      Airlines, and power companies I get.  Facebook and Myspace?!  Color me skeptical on those.

                      No excuses....

                        I'm curious what the definition of "customer" is.  As a free service, what is Facebook obliged to offer me?  What do I have to complain about?  I chose to put whatever information they have on there.  They didn't force me to do anything.

                         

                        Airlines, and power companies I get.  Facebook and Myspace?!  Color me skeptical on those.

                         

                        Two ways to look at it:

                         

                        1.  You "pay" for Facebook with your time and personal information.  Trust me, they monetize both those things quite effectively.

                         

                        2.  People hate Facebook so much that despite costing them no money out-of-pocket, it's still the 10th most hated company in America.

                        How To Run a Marathon: Step 1 - start running. There is no Step 2.

                        xor


                          We are not customers for/of/to facebook.  We are a commodity.

                           

                          The customers of facebook are the entities that pay them... through sharing of personal info and usage patterns related to the commodity of 'faces'.

                           

                          (ok, that's not entirely true perhaps, but it is something to consider... which is why facebook has a software release process where they just sort of drop stuff wily nily and piecemeal... if we were truly customers it would not go that way)

                           


                          Am I doing this right?

                            People hate Facebook so much that despite costing them no money out-of-pocket, it's still the 10th most hated company in America.

                             

                             

                            Then why not delete their account?  Problem solved.  Why complain about something you can control 100%.

                            No excuses....

                            xor


                              Because it has a value proposition that is acceptable even though they suck.

                               

                              Besides, it is easy to use something whilst complaining about it.  We do it all the time :-).

                               

                              Also, with some folks/groups, this (and/or twitter) is becoming the only... or at least most effective... way to communicate.  Which is scary and sad.

                               

                              Alsoalso, it is a way to score cool deals with some companies.  This "in" is how some of my friends have been trying to get me to use twitter as well.  You can get good deals on twitter by following a company's twitter feed.  But for me, the value proposition isn't there.  I've tried a couple times, and twitter still strikes me as goofy.

                               

                              Trent


                              Good Bad & The Monkey

                                You cannot actually delete your Facebook account.  They archive all your stuff.