Newsgroups Trial Resumes

[DrAwesome]

Originally Posted by bob_a_builder

Didn't they used to run a full (?) service on news.ntlworld.com and a text only version on ????

Are they both down at the mo - text only would be fine for me at the mo - but can;t remember server name

Those were the days when ntl ran a full newsgroup service for their customers

news.cable.ntlworld.com
news.ntlword.com
newscache.cable.ntlworld.com
news.tesco.net
news.virgin.net

and

text.news.ntlworld.com

[martin oldgoth]

Originally Posted by homealone

if I was you I would keep your free account

Cheers for the welcome!

I'm definitely keeping the free account, not only is it handy for cross checking during this trial but it's useful for backup no matter what the outcome of this trial is...

martin oldgoth
www.insanitorium.co.uk

[bob_a_builder]

Thanks - text.news.... is working

[DrAwesome]

Originally Posted by bob_a_builder

Thanks - text.news.... is working

np

glad to read your up & running viewing text

[bioboy]

Is it just me or does the trial questionnaire appear quite poor to other people too?

I've been involved in research for many years and had to learn the basics of compiling and administering questionnaires for my MBA. This leaves me with the distinct feeling that NTL aren't necessarily asking the right questions and therefore won't gain enough information to come to a proper conclusion about this trial.

I understand the need to keep it quite short, so that people can actually be bothered to complete it, but I really do think questions like "did you find the trial better/same/worse" etc is far too simplistic.

For me (and I suspect others too) the key factors are reliability (a stable connection), speed, completion, retention and the fact that the service carries the newsgroups that interest us.

My experience so far has been that the trial is an improvement in some of those areas but not in others. This makes it rather difficult to answer the simplistic questions given and even if I do answer NTL aren't getting the full story.

All IMHO of course.

[Pointman]

Originally Posted by bioboy

Is it just me or does the trial questionnaire appear quite poor to other people too?

I've been involved in research for many years and had to learn the basics of compiling and administering questionnaires for my MBA. This leaves me with the distinct feeling that NTL aren't necessarily asking the right questions and therefore won't gain enough information to come to a proper conclusion about this trial.

I understand the need to keep it quite short, so that people can actually be bothered to complete it, but I really do think questions like "did you find the trial better/same/worse" etc is far too simplistic.

For me (and I suspect others too) the key factors are reliability (a stable connection), speed, completion, retention and the fact that the service carries the newsgroups that interest us.

My experience so far has been that the trial is an improvement in some of those areas but not in others. This makes it rather difficult to answer the simplistic questions given and even if I do answer NTL aren't getting the full story.

All IMHO of course.

Fair comment,
Truth is, at this stage, given how fundamentally poor the customer experience has been in the past, the key factor we wish to gauge is "Has your overall customer experience improved as a result of the changes made for Trial?"

Bumpy (who is running this trial) will undoubtedly be looking for further info before the trial ends and will welcome any info you send him via Trials@ntl.com in the meantime.

You are correct that we have to strike a balance between not asking enough, and asking so much that we don't get any feedback.

Cheers

[bumpy]

Originally Posted by bioboy

Is it just me or does the trial questionnaire appear quite poor to other people too?

I've been involved in research for many years and had to learn the basics of compiling and administering questionnaires for my MBA. This leaves me with the distinct feeling that NTL aren't necessarily asking the right questions and therefore won't gain enough information to come to a proper conclusion about this trial.

I understand the need to keep it quite short, so that people can actually be bothered to complete it, but I really do think questions like "did you find the trial better/same/worse" etc is far too simplistic.

For me (and I suspect others too) the key factors are reliability (a stable connection), speed, completion, retention and the fact that the service carries the newsgroups that interest us.

My experience so far has been that the trial is an improvement in some of those areas but not in others. This makes it rather difficult to answer the simplistic questions given and even if I do answer NTL aren't getting the full story.

All IMHO of course.

Bioboy

Our key factors are the same, but this trial is about customer experience and not the technical aspects. At the end of the trial I will be able to identify how stable the service has been, retentions and completion percentages. What I need from trialists is their perception of the service against the existing news service. Please accept my apologies if you thought the trial would be different.

Bumpy (ntl trials team)

[bioboy]

Okay. Fair enough.

Will you be making public the results of the trial or at least letting the trialists know?

[RHP]

Still Waiting ...

This is getting silly ...

I have received via E-Mail two notifications of Private Messages from Bumpy on the ntlhellworld.co.uk website (This would suggest there is nothing wrong with my E-Mail address!)

These inform me that apparently I should have been sent trial details ...

I have received NOTHING. Not this time, nor the last time the trials were attempted. Only manual E-Mails from Daren Spice last time apologising for not getting details through me, and nothing this time except notification of private messages elsewhere.

What on earth is the problem at NTL? Am I just the latest to be ignored if (supposedly) information is sent but doesn't get through?

[Loop]

I thought the trails got stoped ? not had any email's saying its going again. so I tryd it and yer its still running werried has i got email saying it stoped

any way i tryd it and all incompletes for me so I whent back to Eurofeeds and all headers are they and no incompletes so at least NTL are trying to get a gooden going and if they do I dont mined paying extrx for it when its better

[bumpy]

Originally Posted by Loop

I thought the trails got stoped ? not had any email's saying its going again. so I tryd it and yer its still running werried has i got email saying it stoped

any way i tryd it and all incompletes for me so I whent back to Eurofeeds and all headers are they and no incompletes so at least NTL are trying to get a gooden going and if they do I dont mined paying extrx for it when its better

Loop, the trial has started, if you wish to contact Trials@ntl.com with your email address we can send you the details.

bumpy (ntl trials team)

[RHP]

So Loop gets a response, I don't.

Am I to assume that either you consider me to be untruthful in stating I have received no trials details, or that having made an unsuccessful attempt to reach me you won't bother again or try to find out why your E-Mail is so unreliable, or if you ignore me for long enough I might go away.

[bumpy]

Originally Posted by RHP

So Loop gets a response, I don't.

Am I to assume that either you consider me to be untruthful in stating I have received no trials details, or that having made an unsuccessful attempt to reach me you won't bother again or try to find out why your E-Mail is so unreliable, or if you ignore me for long enough I might go away.

RHP

Nothing of the above is true. I have responded to all your mails you have sent to Trials@ntl.com. If you are still not receiving them I do not know the answer. You have already stated you are getting direct mails from me, but then saying mails I am sending you are not getting through.

[bumpy]

Originally Posted by bioboy

Okay. Fair enough.

Will you be making public the results of the trial or at least letting the trialists know?

Bioboy, We do not have a policy of publicising trial results as they are of little interest to most people. However, I do not see any reason why trialists should not be aware of the success of the trial and as such will ensure we issue some comments post trial.

On a slightly separate note, some of you have mailed us to advise you are finding incomplete binaries. We are currently investigating this, but it would be really useful to establish details of dates with incomplete binaries and specific groups. If anyone can let me have this information direct to Trials@ntl.com it would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

Bumpy (ntl trials team)

[RHP]

Originally Posted by bumpy

RHP

Nothing of the above is true. I have responded to all your mails you have sent to Trials@ntl.com. If you are still not receiving them I do not know the answer. You have already stated you are getting direct mails from me, but then saying mails I am sending you are not getting through.

Ok have now received trial details at last. Thank You. They arrived at 2112 Monday 19 Jan 2004.

Let me please be clear - The only E-Mails prior to this were automated mails telling me there were PMs to read on this site. Prior to that the last mail was on 08 Jan from Daren apologising for the fact that trial details hadn't come through and that everything would be resent once trials restarted. My complaints have been that before and since 08 Jan (until now) none of these details ever reached me despite your assurances that they had been sent.

Right, now I'll go away and play triallist!