Comments for Craig Forman's Blog

Comment on Why I am Joining uLocate’s Board of Directors… by craigforman

craigforman — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:05:09 +0000

First, thanks for your comment, and for using WHERE enough to provide some feedback.

On driving directions: It’s true that WHERE will not provide an audible voice prompt to give you turn by turn directions. That’s an interesting feature of some systems that cost users additional fees — valuable of course and always worth considering.

But you are not quite right, either: In the latest shipping release, select any one of hundreds of thousands of POIs (points of interest — such as AMC Cinemas in Manhattan, Starbucks in Schenectady, Dunkin Donuts in Durham). Click on the POI, and then click ‘I want to go there” or, in some versions of the software (WHERE is created on many platforms and for many smartphones) click on “Maps.” You will have an option for “Driving Directions” provided within your browser, and also within Google Maps. (Yes, WHERE works with Google). Click for driving directions. The POI data is becoming more robust with user-generated comments within the WHERE system.

WHERE is an easy-to-use single source for the location-aware information you eed anywhere in North America. I find it is saving me and millions of other people time, money and effort — as it did in Amarillo, as I mentioned above.

And it is constantly getting better. So the WHERE team has now received your feedback, and please keep the comments coming — though it will be faster to get it straight to the company’s product team. You can find them on twitter, Facebook and of course at http://www.where.com/contact/

Thanks again for your thoughts.

Comment on Why I am Joining uLocate’s Board of Directors… by ex uLocter

ex uLocter — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:18:16 +0000

Driving directions are NOT included in the Where app. You hurt your credibility when you haven’t even used the application you are reviewing. I hope you looked at the company’s books a little more closely before you made yourself fiducially responsible for uLocate.

Why would anyone use Where instead of Google maps – because Where has banner ads? Seriously, what is Where’s core value proposition for users?

Comment on Questionable Call: Davos Refugee ‘Simulation’ Is Not The Real Thing… by craigforman

craigforman — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:39:49 +0000

Thanks for writing, and no question these simulations have some value, and as I said the Davos platform is a high-visibility place to do it.

My point is more obvious the ‘Let Them Eat Cake’ implication of running a simulation, only to let the issue then subsequently fade with little or no follow up.

And many of the attendees have the resources (and some of them DO use those resources, but not by any means all of them) to influence positively the actual places whose conditions they were simulating for a few hours in the alpine beauty of Switzerland.

Comment on Questionable Call: Davos Refugee ‘Simulation’ Is Not The Real Thing… by LuAnne

LuAnne — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:09:37 +0000

Craig, you should read about some of the responses from people who actually did the “Refugee Run” before you criticize it. (Read this, for one, but there are many out there: http://philanthropy.com/giveandtake/article/888) I know the Begbies who run Crossroads and set up the refugee run. Met them for dinner 2 nights ago in Portland and heard their stories (stories I haven’t seen in such detail in the news) of the response they get from participants in the simulation. Apparently it’s very powerful. I commented that I didn’t think it would be for me if I knew it was just role playing, but they said that for most people it has an impact. Sure, it would be better to go visit a camp, but truthfully, no one would visit the non-UNHCR, make-shift, highly dangerous camps that this is simulating where soldiers run the show, bribe, rape, etc. Yes, they would see poverty and pain, but never experience even a hint of the fear and danger. It’s far better than nothing.

Comment on ‘Victory at Sea,’ the global economic crisis, the War on Terror and the Oscars…. by TDH Los Gatos

TDH Los Gatos — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:53:06 +0000

Your blog is as good as your old stories in the WSJ. I’d like to borrow these DVDs sometime!

See you in March.

Comment on When Does Communication Become Information? by Keywords and Meaning

Keywords and Meaning — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 00:07:23 +0000

[...] need for speed is nothing new. Former Wall Street Journal newsman Craig Forman draws an arc that extends through the real-time newswires used in the financial world back to the pidgeons of [...]

Comment on U.S. Economy Shrinks 3.8%…. by Madison Avenue Shops Are Packing Their Hand-Tooled Bags… « Craig Forman’s Blog

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 21:51:35 +0000

[...] Avenue Shops Are Packing Their Hand-Tooled Bags… …as mentioned in a previous post….here’s the NY Times on the shuttering of stores on Madison Avenue > [...]

Comment on TechCrunch Comment by Julie Wainwright

Julie Wainwright — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 11:48:43 +0000

Hey, Craig, send me your email. Would love to catch up, Julie@smartnow.com. Thanks

Comment on A new home in Atlanta by craigforman

craigforman — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 22:02:30 +0000

Thank you for being a loyal customer and sorry to hear about your problems. Our customer service folks are trying hard to help you, Marjorie, and are working on this before and after you posted this note. I am hopeful we will get things resolved to your satisfaction.

Comment on A new home in Atlanta by Marjorie Jodoin

Marjorie Jodoin — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:08:28 +0000

As an Earthlink customer generally satisfied with your service, I’d like to ask your opinion about an impasse I find myself in. Two of us have separate accounts in one house, using zyxel modems, and our DSL service has been out or very slow for a month. We’ve done the whole route, two service techs have come to the house and say the zyxel modems need to be replaced with Broadxent modems. Customer Service refuses to make the switch. We even received a “new” actually refurbished zyxel, which also did not work. The tech brought a Broadxent which worked perfectly. Customer service says our modems can only be replaced with zyxel. They are rejecting their own service tech’s recommendation and cancelled the order he placed. We have no choice but to leave Earthlink, unless you can suggest an option.