HTC, can you share the survey results?

[-sudz-]

I'm with you streakeagle - not specifically on the HTC polling but on the increasing tendencies of companies to take up my time for their own insiduous designs.  Compared to what other companies come up with to get info HTC's is rather mild.

But I do feel that corporate America has gone completely overboard with its marketing strategies. What pisses me off most is the implied assumption that I've nothing better to do than to answer their questions or that their demands for information should take precidence over my own, petty self-serving, privacy.

I used to be able to buy a game and register it with just contact information without a worry.  If I ever had a problem with the 3.5" disks I could get support. Now I don't dare register for all the marketing crap that will surely follow if they know how to reach me.

Hell, even the cop that stopped me for speeding wanted to know my profession and average income.  What the hell is up with that? Racial profiling work out so well that now financial profiling should be tested?

I completely understand the marketing position on this - I've old enough and have been on both sides of this equation to comprehend marketing's wants (read needs).  My only question is when did targeting demographics take over from doing a quality product in order to increase sales?

I don't think I ever met a marketeer who didnt need an ethics check.

-sudz

[WBHoncho]

took you fellers longer to complain about the poll that all the polls you ever saw in the game took you to click on x100

[streakeagle]

Creamo, reading the BBS is voluntary and free. No one made you read one word of my post. Now if a dialog box popped up with whatever stupid opinion I had every time you opened  a computer application and remained there until you clicked on it, that would be very different. It would be the same as all those pop-up explorer ads.

I pay to play AH to have fun, not to view marketing dialog boxes. Knowing the sole function of that box makes having to view it and click on it is just as annoying to me as all the other pop-up ads.

Should I have to stare at a dialog box and click "I do not wish to reply" every time I want run any application on my computer, especially one of my favorite ones?

I never whined about this previously and always gave feedback other than "I do not wish to reply" in the interest of supporting a game I like. But now that our feedback has been openly declared classified information available only to HTC for marketing purposes after someone made a reasonable request for public disclosure of the results, I would prefer not to participate and would also prefer not to clutter my screen with the box at all. My issue is with freely given public information becoming the property of a company.

I do not think it is any more unreasonable to request having an option to turn this feature off than not having the phone ring every 20 minutes with telemarketing calls. Their polls don't take long either and are only for our own benefit right? Should I pick up the phone everytime and tell them I am not interested?

For me, this isn't about the time it takes, it is about the principle. Is it logical for me to waste five minutes of my time typing up a post and expressing my opinion to defend my beliefs? Damn straight, that's what a BBS is for.

Our world has been commercialized on a global scale. Everything depends on marketing and dollars. I know this is unavoidable, but I sure don't need to be reminded about it at the end of the day when I click on AH to get away from it all and have some fun.

Flame on.

Rude, I would be honored to get "whine of the week" as my previous efforts have obviously failed

[Nifty]

Pyro, can you add a "Whatever HTC wants me to think, as long as the A6M2 and Ki-84 are added in the next planeset update" option?  

I'd like to see the poll results myself, but completely understand why you keep them to yourselves.  

[Dux]

 pssst... hey fellas... wanna know what's REALLY going on with those polls? They're slowly compiling personality data on all of us. When they get enough info, we will be modelled into the game as AI, and you know what happens then? That's right... we are redundant, expendable. How do we know this isn't already happening? I mean, how do we really know that the "people" we see online every night are really people at all? I mean, some people say the same thing over and over... like a machine would! And those voices on AHVoice? Sounds computerish to me. Don't trust anybody! The writing is on the wall, my friends. Don't say I didn't warn you all. I think I hear a helicopter, where's my foil helmet?

Just because I'm paranoid, it doesn't mean I'm wrong.

[T0J0]

"5"  

T0J0;)

[-sudz-]

LOL, Dux - it's what I've suspected all along

What is that glowing red light in the corner of my bedroom?  I keep hearing strange mechanically whizzing noises late at night!!

-sudz

[muckmaw]

Originally posted by streakeagle

I never whined about this previously and always gave feedback other than "I do not wish to reply" in the interest of supporting a game I like. But now that our feedback has been openly declared classified information available only to HTC for marketing purposes after someone made a reasonable request for public disclosure of the results, I would prefer not to participate and would also prefer not to clutter my screen with the box at all. My issue is with freely given public information becoming the property of a company.

 [/B]

You're one of those Civil Liberties Tree-Huggers are'nt you?

Where do you people find the time off work to go to all those IMF protests?

You say you want to support HTC and in turn AH, but you don't want to anwser questions about yourself in order for them to direct their marketing effort to like-minded people. Guess what, helping HTC will make AH better. More players means more Money for HTC which means more resources for development of an already great game.

And I perfectly understand why HTC would not want to give information about the demographics of it's PAYING CUSTOMERS to outsiders. That's like me calling a Morgan Stanley broker and telling him the names and phone numbers, as well as the net worth, and investment experience of all my best clients.

If you don't want to answer, fine, but for god's sake get over it!

Besides, do you really give a rat's bellybutton who builds model airplanes or not?

As Yeager would say, "It's just a poll"

[Thrawn]

Does the HTC receive a response if I select "I decline to answer"?

If it doesn't, great.

If it does, then I have to agree with streak.  As HTC would still be recieving marketing formation from me.  ie.  Well Thrawn responded to this poll, but he declined to answer that one.  I guess he cares more about the first issue and less about the second.


I like HTC and their product, as a customer, not a marketing tool.   I would like the option to disable the pop-ups, if HTC receives a response if I chose to click, "I decline to answer."

edit: I support HTC by giving them cold hard cash every month, in the end, they are a business, not a charity.

[muckmaw]

Originally posted by Thrawn

edit: I support HTC by giving them cold hard cash every month, in the end, they are a business, not a charity.

And like every business, if your not growing, your Dying. Grow the customer base, reinvest the profits into improving your product, increase your customer base....etc, etc, etc..

Otherwise, your company goes the way of Air Warrior, and I know no one wants that.

[MrLars]

Originally posted by muckmaw


You're one of those Civil Liberties Tree-Huggers are'nt you?

Just wondering, what civil liberties you would want restricted?

[BigGun]

If you don't like little pop up stuff just once in awhile & that is part of the game, then don't pay $15 dollars to play. Nobody is forcing you to open AH, knowing there is an off chance a marketing pop-up will be there. Amazes me as to the simple little things that people complain about.

[Superfly]

IMPORTANT TRANSMISSION
There is a lot of distortion, but I've intercepted a transmission of what is really going on!  Listen before it's too late!!!

[Thrawn]

Originally posted by muckmaw


And like every business, if your not growing, your Dying. Grow the customer base, reinvest the profits into improving your product, increase your customer base....etc, etc, etc..

Otherwise, your company goes the way of Air Warrior, and I know no one wants that.

Sorry I don't want HTC or AH not to go away either, but this is not my problem.  After all, I don't recieve any dividends when HTC does well.  

Before anyone says, "Yeah but you receive other compensation when HTC does well, more features, more planes, and they cut the price.".  I pay for an evolving game, that's what they market the AH as.  As far as the price reduction is concerned, I'm sure they found the price point that was BEST FOR THEM, and implemented it.

[muckmaw]

Originally posted by MrLars


Just wondering, what civil liberties you would want restricted?

Aside from the one that allows morons to procreate, none. If they restrict the right of throngs of new age hippies to protest, I'll have nothing to laugh at on the Evening News.