Virgin Media Phorm Webwise Adverts [Updated: See Post No. 1, 77, 102 & 797]

Originally Posted by Mick

By copy - I think that is well written and will use it instead of the hastily written one I did this lunchtime. If you want me to credit you on the news article, I would be happy to.

CF needs more news writers btw.

Hope you don't mind me linking to this in the VM 'feedback' newsgroup. It certainly meets the definition of 'feedback' to me.

[Florence]

Originally Posted by Mick

No - We have a flashchat feature though on the forum that is hardly ever used.

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/misc.php?do=flashchat

The old cable forum is still active on quakenet still have some VM staff idling.

#cableforum Frank used to come in a lot at one time.

[AlexanderHanff]

Oh Mick by the way you need to send that open letter to:

Sir Richard Branson
Virgin Management Limited
120 Campden Hill Road
London
W8 7AR

Anyone else who wishes to contact Sir Richard should use the same address. I would suggest it is about time we started a letter writing campaign to that address. It is amazing how quickly organisations start to pay attention when several sacks of mail arrive every morning. There is a real cost involved in handling bulk mail so it is difficult to ignore something which is eating into your departmental budget like that.

Alexander Hanff

---------- Post added at 21:21 ---------- Previous post was at 20:25 ----------

Here is a useful contact (amazing what some digging on the web can do):

VIRGIN MANAGEMENT LTD
Joshua Bayliss
120 CAMPDEN HILL ROAD, LONDON, W8 7AR
Department: Group General Counsel.

Position: Responsible for management of legal functions, advising senior executive committee and for VML's role in group-wide legal matters, principally acquisitions, disposals, JVs and other commercial contracts, and litigation. Also responsible for group company secretarial and intellectual property functions, and management of external legal panel.

Education: University of Auckland (BA; LLB Hons).

Career: Qualified in England and Wales and in New Zealand. Judge's Clerk, Court of Appeal (NZ) 1995; Bell Gully (Auckland) 1997; Slaughter and May 1999-2005; VML 2005 to date.

Leisure: Modern literature, wine, sport.

Phone: 020 7313 2000

E-mail: josh.bayliss@virgin.co.uk

Maybe we should be sending letters and phoning him since he is Virgin Group's General Counsel. I might give him a bell tomorrow once I finish my other chores

It is also a good example of just how anonymous anonymous data is. Ironic really.

Alexander Hanff

[Ravenheart]

Alex,

As a number of us have been fobbed off with a standard Phorm is great mail from Virgin when we've sent them a DPA letter, would sending the same letter to Joshua have more effect as he is responsible for the legal functions?

[AlexanderHanff]

Originally Posted by Ravenheart

Alex,

As a number of us have been fobbed off with a standard Phorm is great mail from Virgin when we've sent them a DPA letter, would sending the same letter to Joshua have more effect as he is responsible for the legal functions?

I can't really comment on that either way but at the very least I am sure he won't be too happy to receive thousands of emails, letters and phone calls on the issue

Alexander Hanff

---------- Post added at 21:37 ---------- Previous post was at 21:37 ----------

Don't forget to ask him which Wine he recommends this summer and what literary works he can recommend for us.

[Dai]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03...n_phorm_uturn/

"The Guardian" ditches Phorm.

Let's hope it's the start of a trend.

[mark777]

I thought it might be useful to list a few published 'contact us' e-mail addresses for Virgin Group companies. These might be useful if you feel the need to warn them of the damage Phorm may be doing to their reputation.


info@virginlifecare.co.za
customer.services@fly.virgin.com
support@virgingames.com
reservation.services@virginholidays.co.uk
info@virginmoney.com
customer.relations@virgintrains.co.uk
bookings@virginlimobike.com
sales@virginballoonflights.co.uk
info@virginlimo.com
Virgingalactic@virgin.com
reservations@virginnigeria.com
haveaword@virgin1.co.uk
cruisesales@virginholidays.com
support@virginbroadband.com.au
info@thevirginvoucher.co.uk
info@vfestival.com
italia@virginactive.it
webadmin@virginactive.co.za
info@virgin-books.co.uk
info@virgincomics.com
info@virgingreenfund.com
enquiry.healthcare@virgin.co.uk
customerservices@virginmega.co.uk
manager@virginmega.com
care@virginmobile.in
sortmeout@virginmobile.co.za
theteam@virginmobile.com
expert@au.virginmoney.com
services@virginmoney.co.za
corporatedevelopment@virginradio.com
contact@virginunite.co.uk
services@virginvieathome.com
help@virginwines.com

This below may be a more useful format for some people who want to paste addresses into their e-mail 'To' fields in order to help to warn these companies more quickly, in a single e-mail.

Some people may want to cc: them when e-mailing VM or Phorm, just to keep them up to date.

BUT please be careful what details you are copying to them, as some of these addresses are in countries
that are heavily associated with internet fraud.

info@virginlifecare.co.za; customer.services@fly.virgin.com; support@virgingames.com; reservation.services@virginholidays.co.uk; info@virginmoney.com; customer.relations@virgintrains.co.uk; bookings@virginlimobike.com; sales@virginballoonflights.co.uk; info@virginlimo.com; Virgingalactic@virgin.com; reservations@virginnigeria.com; haveaword@virgin1.co.uk; cruisesales@virginholidays.com; support@virginbroadband.com.au; info@thevirginvoucher.co.uk; info@vfestival.com; italia@virginactive.it; webadmin@virginactive.co.za; info@virgin-books.co.uk; info@virgincomics.com; info@virgingreenfund.com; enquiry.healthcare@virgin.co.uk; customerservices@virginmega.co.uk; manager@virginmega.com; care@virginmobile.in; sortmeout@virginmobile.co.za; theteam@virginmobile.com; expert@au.virginmoney.com; services@virginmoney.co.za; corporatedevelopment@virginradio.com; contact@virginunite.co.uk; services@virginvieathome.com; help@virginwines.com



Added - i've removed the ones that bounce back as undeliverable (only 2).

[manxminx]

Before Easter, I sided with VM in their decision not to make a statement regarding the controversy surrounding Phorm. However, I had expected that after Easter they would make some kind of a statement. The continued silence now, even I find rather puzzling,

Thank you Mick & Alexander for all your hard work and the excellent open letter. Virgin Management will soon be inundated with letters and emails.

[Kursk]

I've been waiting patiently for the focus to move from Phorm to Virgin Media itself. I think we would be better served by concentrating on our ISP which holds the key to stopping this Phorm nonsense before it starts. There are contributors here with the knowledge, skill and expertise to challenge the insidious Phorm proposals and to encourage Virgin to support its customers as The Guardian appears to have so chosen.

Let's keep our challenge real and determined like the excellent Open Letter directed at VM. The Phorm PR Team only show up here once in a while because they are having to battle on too many fronts. They will lose the war if we stick with the tactics of legal challenge.

Well done all, especially the Cable Forum Team for hosting and contributing to this thread.

[ceedee]

Grrrrrrrr!

"Privacy Isn’t Phorm’s Biggest Problem" on Gigaom.

It ends, appallingly, with:
"If Phorm doesn’t succeed, it’s not because it violates privacy, but because it’s selling something of questionable value."

[thejaygee]

Once upon a time, I was saying the same thing about giving credit card numbers out over the internet -- I think I was right, but a lot of good it did me. Google is getting lots of ad dollars -- the ISP's aren't getting squat. Google gets money because the advertisers get results, so they keep buying/bidding on keywords. Relevance is the big deal -- (well) targeted adverts can be a service, if I want them, and if it is a good deal for me. Virgin hasn't answered the most important five words in the language, "What's in it for me?". Possible answers: money (free or cheaper service- maybe pay me to let them look at me , unobtrusive ads that are more likely to be for something I might want, satisfying me that nobody is watching me in my weaker moments, and letting me be sure that big brother won't (can't) resurrect my browsing history ten years from now when I am a candidate for ?? Can they do all that? If not, this is something with no quid pro quo -- merely doing "to me", with little or nothing "for me". Are they even trying to answer those questions? If this is the potential gold mine that one report I read said that it was, then hey, let's spread the wealth a bit, eh? I can be bought -- I buy on Amazon all the time, and their ability to anticipate what I am going to do next (based on what I have done there in the past) is remarkable -- maybe it should be scary, but it isn't; it makes my life a lot easier. Come on Virgin -- giving me anti-phishing protection just doesn't cut it. Offer me something that EYE will perceive has value to ME.

If you think for one minute you will get compensated via monetary terms for allowing the service, you have been heavily misguided, this is not how this will work.

Welcome to the site tho.

[Barkotron]

[EDIT: Ignore all that, years ago]

[CaptJamieHunter]

Originally Posted by ceedee

Grrrrrrrr!

"Privacy Isn’t Phorm’s Biggest Problem" on Gigaom.

It ends, appallingly, with:
"If Phorm doesn’t succeed, it’s not because it violates privacy, but because it’s selling something of questionable value."

A very poorly researched article high on ignorance and low on truth. People get over there and put this sadly misguided individual right!

[OF1975]

Originally Posted by CaptJamieHunter

A very poorly researched article high on ignorance and low on truth. People get over there and put this sadly misguided individual right!

Amen and I just posted my response to there.

EDIT: the share price has gone up 6.52% so far today. Time to post that follow up letter to liberty and then get chores done. Be back later.