Like many of you, I received what purported to be an apology letter from Netflix on Sunday night. It was an apology for the way the price increase was handled. But, then, in the letter, CEO Reed Hastings said most emphatically that the prices will not be changed. But, that is not the crazy part.
In the letter, he announced that streaming services and DVD services will be split between two separate companies…Netflix for streaming…and something called “Qwikster” for DVD’s. What? There will be separate billing for each AND, get this, separate Websites. So if you want both services, you will be billed separately and you will have to go to two completely different sites to make your selections. Want to know if a movie is available for streaming before you put it in your DVD queue for shipment? Then you will have to go to two separate sites. That is nuts.
For me, the really nutty part is taking a successful business model like the DVD service, and giving it a whole new name. Why would anyone in their right mind take a product out of the most well known name in home entertainment and give it a new one while still retaining the old name? There are two possible answers…Netflix management is trying to purposely destroy the DVD side of their business OR Reed Hastings has lost his marbles.
They have already lost over one million customers more than they originally projected with the price increase…and now their stock stock is taking a huge tumble. In July, Netflix shares sold for over $300…today it closed around $130, a $14 drop just today. Oh yes, I almost forgot…Reed Hastings recently sold off a huge block of his own shares. Hmmmm.
Lost in all the Netflix news is the fact that Google+, the new social media service, has left the beta tag behind and has gone public for everyone. No more invitations required. It will be interesting to see where it goes from here. You should try it out…I like it.
Bottom line for you…lots of really interesting stories and information. So enjoy yourself – JRC
Netflix CEO's apology brings new backlash
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings tried yesterday to assuage customer wrath about the company's price hike, but instead ended up triggering a new round with news that its streaming-video and DVD-by-mail services will be almost completely separated.
Netflix/Qwikster: I guess this is good-bye
We've had some good times together. I remember when your red envelopes first freed me from the authoritarian grasp of Blockbuster. You offered films we couldn’t rent anywhere else, and you provided an experience that was simple and cool. And then you had to go and ruin a beautiful thing.
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Clean up imported or pasted data in Excel
The data in your beautiful spreadsheet doesn't necessarily start out that way, especially if you've copied or imported it in from some other place. By using some Excel functions and formatting techniques, you can make your names, dates and numbers look just the way you want.
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