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Plantronics Helps Make Remote Workers' Lives Easier (Video)
If you're working at home or from a coffee shop or, really, anyplace outside your company's offices, they need to hear you when you talk, and you need to hear them. The same goes for dealing with clients via VOIP or video, the two communications techologies that seem to be driving POTS into obsolescence faster than we thought possible just a few years ago. In this video, Plantronics PR person Karen Auby -- who works remotely most of the time herself -- explains how Plantronics products help make work easier in a world of "unified communications."
So... half the "stories" today are just bloody slashvertisements?!?
I was raised on the command line, bitch
"Nemo me impune lacesset"
We had one ad yesterday, two today, three tomorrow?
Also the first one for instance was much better disguised, this is glaring obvious, is the obvious version cheaper?
I wouldn’t expect that form slashdot 5 years ago, now I'm surprised it took so long...
WTF? This isn't even a thinly veiled slashvertisement, it's a full-on ad. I can't wait for the "Watch this 30 second advertisement before Slashdot will load" ads to come.
Really? Are we this blatant about advertising now? Pull your fucking head in Slashdot editors...
So, never, ever buy a Plantronics product. Check.
Ok, I work from home and thought, "Hey, this might have information that will help me be more effective at working remotely." Instead, it was almost 4 minutes of a woman telling us how much time her company thinks about remote collaboration, unified communication and how important it is being able to speak with each other. Oh, and their product might have something to do with voice quality.
If you're going to give us an ad like this, at least let it be something useful. Give us technical details and provide information about how the product or service works. Instead, I just lost 4 minutes of my life that I'll never get back.
I never would have thought that slashdot would sink to this. Geez, disappointing. If you keep this up, sayonara. No wonder taco boogied.
it's official...I have removed slashdot from my rss feed.
I can't say I've ever had an enjoyable conference with their gear. I remember some epic fails.
Google and others have better FREE alternatives. Use them!
..don't panic
Title: Plantronics Helps Make Remote Workers' Lives Easier
Description: Better sound = better communications
[00:00] <TITLE>
"Plantronics is Working to Help Collaboration with Far-Flung Workers, Suppliers, and Clients" appears along with the SlashdotTV logo bar reading "Chris Yeich, Geeknet" over a view of Chris sitting in front of a a white (p)leather surface.
[00:03] Chris>
With today's increasingly distributed workforce where a worker can work from an office, from home, on the road and even at a coffee shop, collaboration is the name of the game.
For IT decision makers it means that they've gotta find new ways to use new technology to help facilitate that collaboration.
Unified communications is one way to get there.
I had the chance recently to speak with Plantronics about collaboration and unified communications, and here's what they had to say.
[00:30] <TITLE>
The SlashdotTV logo bar with "Karen Auby, Senior Manager, Public Relations, Plantronics" fades in and out of view.
[00:30] Karen>
Plantronics has really been focused on understanding how businesses are working today, because the idea of going to a place to work and clocking in at 9 and leaving at 5 - it's sort of an outdated method.
Now, people are working wherever they are, whenever they can, and just really producing results that are meaningful for a company.
So I can understand it's a big challenge for IT to be able to keep everyone connected as they become more distributed.
Plantronics has really been looking at how to help our own employees collaborate, because we have people who work in Europe.. we are a global company, we have offices in Asia, and in Europe.. and keeping them all connected is extremely important for product development, for marketing, for business development, for finance - regardless of the area within the organization, collaboration is really important, and it's something that Plantronics is very, very focused on.
[01:25] Chris>
So when it comes to unified communications you [...] bunch of different types of technologies.
Where do you see some of the biggest hurdles for IT managers in being able to effectively implement a broad-based unified communication strategy?
What is some of the stumbling blocks that you see based on your experience working with IT orgs?
[01:44] Karen>
Well, to be honest, I think a lot of it is end user adoption and getting end users excited and interested and feeling like IT isn't pushing down another thing they need to learn, but actually understand - as an end user - understanding "Hey, this is actually gonna make my job easier - this is gonna make life better for me, and less frustrating."
So I think the importance of simplicity and training and ease of use really can't be overstated.
If you want unified communications or any collaboration tools to really affect ROI, affect the bottom line, affect innovation within a company.
[02:20] Chris>
One last question for you:
So Plantronics - a lot of focus on audio quality.
Tell me a little about how that component, that specific component of audio, fits into the overarching - again, the umbrella theme of - unified communications, knowing that we've got tools like Skype chat, instant messaging.
Where does audio fit in?
[02:39] Karen>
There's so much emotion that comes out in voice that you don't get in text.
There's a difference between "Hey, great job" and "Hey! Great job!", and so we really believe in the power of voice.
So you can get business done so much quicker sometimes just by picking up the phone, rather than back-and-forth e-mails.
I, personally, think that - and Plantronics definitely, the company, we believe that - voice is a natural way to communicate and that you see tools that embrace voice as the easiest, most synchronous, communication method is really one-on-one voice calls, and/or conference calls as well.
As f
Slashdot has been an enormous factor in making me the nerd I am. That sounds cheesy, but I seriously started reading when I was 14. It was a big deal to me to find a huge community of other people who really saw the world like I did, unlike anyone else in my (small) high school.
But I really can't justify sticking around if the "stories" are just "Isn't Plantronics great?" videos. This is nonsense. I understand that Slashdot needs to make money, but if you guys can't keep doing that off of (normal) ads, then just shut it down. It's not worth this painful death.
I put up with trolls. I put up with Idle. I put up with the shitty Ajax. I didn't much mind the "itwbenett" stuff, where people were just submitting their online articles, as long as they were interesting. I even put up with the sponsored "ask slashdot", since it was clearly marked and had the potential to be somewhat interesting. I wasn't that guy bitching about every little thing- things change, but it's not a big deal.
We all know about Plantronics. They even make a decent product. But I don't go to Slashdot to read paid-for content posted by companies about what companies say about their products.
This is too much. If you're seriously going to have a half-dozen "stories" a day that are just ads for some gadget or service or so on, then I won't be here.
In case this wasn't clear enough, you known that line that companies cross that pisses their users off and sends them into a death spiral, a la Digg? You just crossed it. Step back very quickly or you'll have big problems.
I have developed a truly marvelous proof of this comment, which this signature is too narrow to contain.
I mean, I get the slashvertisment, but.. most of the time, there's at least something newish. Plantronics sells flimsy microphones in even flimsier plastic packaging at outrageous prices that may or may not connect to the audio jack on your device-that-has-a-standard-audio-jack.
If they don't at least have some kind of wonder gadget that revolutionizes the headset industry in some not necessarily meaningful, but at least interesting way, I fail to see the point of their presence on slashdot.
What's next? A zinc bolt manufacturer advertising their not particularly unique or inventive bog standard zinc bolts, without ever actually using the word "bolt" or mentioning or displaying an any of their actual products?
Also, I had to watch an ad before watching the ad.
Can you be Even More Awesome?!
Please?
I hate being bipolar; it's awesome!
not good PR
Case in point:
They were more like the fuzzy down of a modern baby chick than the stiff plumes of an adult bird,” Xing Xu, a researcher at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing, said in a news release
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/china/120404/t-rex-cousin-sported-downy-feathers
Seriously. I'm not one to reminisce about the "good old days" (see my UID) but this is serious ridiculous. This really reminds me of when Digg cratered out, just checked Digg, 15 stories on the front page and 77 comments, in total. I remember when they had hundreds of comments, per story. So I'm guessing if this continues Slashdot will crater out by the end of the year. Well it was nice while it lasted.
If you're going to post ads, they cannot look like stories.
If you're going to post ads, make sure they're good or nobody will click on more than one.
The slashdot I knew is gone. After years of reading and moderating, this will be my last visit to the site.
My karma here has been excellent for well over 10 years. I'd like to turn off advertising, please.
Or, maybe let's change the moderation system to allow moderation of stories, not just comments, and add '-1 slashvertisement" mod option.
Or maybe, it's simply time for a slahdot clone -- just the same only having editors with both integrity and a brain.
I never checked the box in the first place(thanks, AdBlock Plus!) but I may just have to now.
If the only way you can accept an assertion is by faith, then you are conceding that it can't be taken on its own merits
Slashdot editors: I understand you need ads. I understand you need sponsors, but if you are going to post them, please mark them as paid content. Seriously. If you don't you will loose your core readership, and maybe you already are, but this isn't going to help things. Was Rob Malda the only person keeping this from happening? Yes, Slashdot readers have valuable eyeballs, but treat us with respect, otherwise you will loose us. One of the key reasons geeks still defend Google and Gmail is that they set a precedent for tasteful and obvious ads with Adwords. Please hold yourselves to the same standards.
If you are looking for a way to make long time, loyal, readers revolt, then you have found it.
I've checked the box. It didn't help.
The signal:crap ratio is getting a bit high and this just blew it off the charts, are there some recommendations on alternatives sites that are currently what Slashdot (unfortunately) was?
To see how many readers dislike? Add one more for me, please.
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
To: robin@dont-be-lazy-its-in-the-summary
Subject: Plantronics Helps Make Remote Workers' Lives Easier (Video)
So, how much did they pay you?
Fucking sellout.
Goodbye, slashdot.
I'd block ALL Roblimo stories, except... watching the comments is irresistible, like a slow motion car crash.
One has to wonder how Roblimo feels about being an anchor around the neck of /. - does she hate having the slashvertisement beat, does she hate /., does she perceive some value to these slashvertisements?
Yep, even if I block her "stories", they still are ruinous to our beloved Slashdot's prestige and reputation. I don't think the brain trust behind these abominations realize how quickly a downward spiral can initiate, and how irreversible they are.
Gotta wonder also what Rob Malda (C. Taco) thinks of this trend?
I just hope someone realizes the errors of their ways, and soon.
Advertisers - seriously, when you sucker slurp for being posted here like this, a crapload of us cross you off the list of being purchasable.
And that sucks because I used to like plantronics.
No more wallet for you..
_ _ _ Go for the eyes Boo! GO FOR THE EYES!
Dear Roblimo, how stupid do you think the slashdot audience is? If you can't keep your ads apart from your stories, you probably need to find yourself a new audience. I would suggest moving to day time TV.
What a great video! Very unbiased. I really want a Plantronics headset now.
Seriously though, this is the last straw for this Anonymous Coward.
Bye!
What a shame. Like many others, my IDs are high through lethargy; I started reading in 1998, and the desire to accrue karma eventually became too great. I've hit the site almost daily since then, and have collected my fair share of +5, Flamebait mods.
No more. If you're this beholden to your corporate sponsors, please let them know they can advertise with impunity, since your remaining readers are obviously ok with it. I'm done. Thank you for the good times and the bad. From OMG Ponies to the 9/11 post, GNAA to klerck's page-widening posts, it's been a treat.
Farewell.
Haida Manga
It's simple really... pan the product!
Everyone post their negative experiences with the company, in gory detail.
Even if you've never used the product, some well-placed negative innuendo or skeptical comparison (use this open source alternative instead!) will serve to disadvertize the product.
After awhile, a short while (I'm hoping), the editors will realize that the readers don't want this, the sponsors will realize that they don't want this, and the practice will stop.
People keep moaning about apathy in the face of an unlikeable situation, well here's our chance. Let's change the system.
All together now, one... two... three...
Well, NoScript put a big yellow box at the top of this article, so at least I didn't have to watch it. Did the video auto-play, too? There are few things on the web that I hate more than auto-playing commercials.
NoScript makes the web bearable these days, but it's a crying shame that it's necessary.
But, back to Slashdot, it seems to me like there's been an awful lot of shark-jumping since Taco left. I'm not going to completely bail just yet, but I'm finding myself spending less and less time here. It was great while it lasted!
Oh, no! You have walked into the slavering fangs of a lurking grue!
plantronics actually causes cancer, and that only sex offenders and violent drug addled criminals would ever use it.
;)
plantronics can also be scientifically linked to global warming.
but they shouldnt worry. comments on message boards never get indexed into, say, the reviews of a product as illicited by a google search
Good people go to bed earlier.
I wont watch your ad, but is this the same overpriced Chinese garbage you have been vomiting out for the last decade? If so I would rather spend my money on something that's not going to fall apart or break in a month. K THX
PS: stop with the ass slashdot
This is terrible.
Well guys, I guess it's been, what, 15 years, give or take? I can't say I was the first or second slashdot reader, but I might have been the thousandth. A lot has changed in that time, and there are a lot of tech news aggregators with comments these days. Many have advertising-driven business models, a brave few try other models from time to time. But virtually all of them are far less offensive than this crap, in that they have ads at the top of the page which are obviously paid content separate from the editorial function of posting, well, tech news of one sort or another. Each of us has a certain threshold, be it qualitative or quantitative, beyond which we clearly recognise that something has become intolerable. Often it's difficult to articulate that threshold's location until it's been crossed, or at least to imagine each and every possible fashion in which it could be crossed. But here we are, way the fuck on the wrong side of that threshold, and you've lost another reader. I'm not sure how you plan to make up for the inevitable loss of other readers like me; maybe you're not even planning to or thinking that far ahead. Maybe you figure advertisers are so stupid that they'll gladly pay vastly higher sums for these sore thumbs that they think your apparently even more retarded readers won't know are ads. Maybe they're right. Maybe you're right. I hope not, but I'm certainly a lot wiser than I was 15 years ago, and I wouldn't be surprised by anything at this point. So, please, take it to its logical conclusion. More ads. Less pretense of editorial independence. I'd suggest you do what the bottom-feeding Chinese link vendors do and just fill your entire page with paid links, graphics, and videos. Maybe throw in some real American know-how like real-time auctions, and tie it into Facebook so that you already know everything you could ever want to about people who like to be products. After all, many of our country's best and brightest now spend most of their time and energy finding more ways to sell other people as advertising viewers. I'm sure you'll think of something, and I hope for irony's sake that you make a mint. But you'll be doing it without me. Given the choices you're making, I don't think you'll miss me, as I'm no longer part of your target audience.
Now we know why Cmdrtaco left. This is terrible.
Note to editors: you are killing a once great site. Please stop before it's too late.
"A plan fiendishly clever in its intricacies"- Homer Simpson
What's up with the Spam-Dot postings today? One would HOPE the ads posted would be useful, but instead we get this trash. Disappointed mate, disappointed.
This might be it for me too.
To be honest though, I don't come to slashdot for the stories; I don't even RTFA most of the time. I come here for the discussions.
As long as the Slashdot community sticks around, I will stick around as well -- no matter what the editors do. Unfortunately I think this article marks the beginning of the end for the community.
I'm using a Plantronics earpiece for a regular desk phone (the kind that fits over the ear and has a long hollow voice tube). It's getting close to 10 years old, still works fine.
According to Rob's personal site: http://www.roblimo.com/
"Now mostly retired, but doing a little video work for Slashdot"
A little eh? I have nothing against you Rob, you can make these videos as often as you like, but since you're now affiliated with Slashdot could you please request on behalf of its (remaining) users to have these videos put in the Slashdot TV section, where they belong? Virtually everyone hates them here because they're basically ads, and so any redeeming qualities go out the window.
Most people on Slashdot are fucking idiots.
The subject says it all.
"So after all this, you make my case for me. To end this stalemate, you must die..."
What if I already like/prefer Plantronics products and don't want to see this same damn ad over and over again? Can we at least have dynamic preference-based stuff?
Robort knows all.
Zero-content, non-technical marketing buzzword jargon generated drivel. It's funny, but nothing informational. Propaganda. Why is it even on /.?
Obviously I'm inside a dream inside a dream inside a dream. Normally I read about invasive advertising on other sites ON slashdot, not experience it on slashdot. What just happened? Waiting for the spinning top to drop. In the meantime, I will post on Gizmodo about this. The king is dead, long live the new king!
I was trying to figure out if I could hook my asterisk box into the corporate exchange but left before I got too far on that. They were running some proprietary shit and it looked like it'd be difficult. Probably could have forwarded the number to my home phone, but where's the fun in that?
Asterisk is pretty neat. If you have a cell phone that does SIP, you can have it register to the server whenever you're in range of your WLAN. Or really any WLAN that allows it. If asterisk sees your handset, it'll ring it. Otherwise you can drop it straight to voicemail. Not much point in having two handsets when one will do, if you have to deal with multiple lines.
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
Hilarious, time to put where my money is and go against this sort of advertising. Coincidentally, I need to purchase around 160 headsets for language education in our computer labs, some of which as excess inventory for breakages. Guess which brand I'm going to tell my vendors to not bother offering? May only be $5,000 or so but that's $5,000 Plantronics won't be seeing.
... but when I do, it's because I stopped blocking all submissions by Roblimo.
Don't you see that by mixing advertisement with content you are casting doubt on *every single* story posted? You had a great thing but you're killing it.
Who thought this would a good idea? How dumb are the corporate owners?
If this goes on, I'm going to start using those threads to list as many slashdot alternatives as possible. There many good sites out there looking for active commenters.
Watch how mods are going to help your audience leave your site.
Is there a list anywhere? I have that natural v1a9ra pill shop and want to place an ad on the front page too.
I'm still waiting to see some sort of apology or april fools cover for this story, but maybe it is a continued significant downturn in advertising standards at slashdot, along the lines of my recent complaint/submission about the 'sugar daddy dating' advertising - http://slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=30347589 - that I got flooded with (~50%, cookieless, fresh profile front page view coverage). That seemed to only last a week or two, either because of a one-off ad-buy coincidence, or slashdot(or parent) exerting some better advertising discretion. Dunno. I'd love to bash this article, but I'm really too stunned to believe it wasn't an accident or late april fools thing. Although I did find this thread educational, if in fact the statements about digg having massive reduction in readership is true. Never having gotten on that bandwagon, I'm nonetheless surprised to hear it taking a serious kuro5hin like turn. Certainly if this video isn't just a freak one time thing, it is what could finally do slashdot in. I just can't believe they'd be so stupid as to just walk that obvious road. Maybe it's a secret ploy to run away all the cookieless viewers who aren't trackable and therefore worth as much as advertisees. I.e. if you browse logged in typically, you filter the editor, otherwise, you are driven away by advertisements. Culling the herd to focus on those valuable trackable advertisees. Bwa ha ha ha..... (sorry, just had to give into the advertising paranoia there for a bit...)
at the top of the ad page.
...and my bank balance and wondering if I should renew my /. subscription. At least I don't have to wonder any more.
Shame on you, slashdot, for going down this route. You are no longer stuff that matters.
Following standard operating procedure I didn't initially RTFA and just dived into comments. Every single comment was about how horrible this story is and how this may be the beginning of the end for Slashdot. I didn't want to believe it. I couldn't believe it. I broke down. I clicked the link. I watched the video. I know, I know- this is crazy. But, now I've seen for myself. I've given up 4 minutes of my own life. I figured I owed Slashdot that much after all these years.
All I can say is:
What absolute trash. That video is the most vapid thing I've seen online anywhere lately. I never expected to see this here of all places. Sad, sad, sad. . .
WTF /. !?!
I almost never comment. I happily read slashdot daily. I enjoy all the community comments, and even find them useful (seriously). The all-to-common badly written articles get dissected by people who know more about an issue than some reporter. The random tangent discussions and fanboy vs fanboy banter entertain. The comments are what make Slashdot BETTER than some other random tech blog.
Do you hear me slashdot? Your users generate half the content that I come here for. DON"T PISS THEM OFF!
It is deceitful, offensive, and downright stupid for you to post advertisements as articles. At the very least, they should be clearly marked. Maybe moved into their own category. We are not idiots. We do not like people trying to trick us.
The community (your bread and fucking butter) WILL move elsewhere! Get some cheap intern working on a marketing degree to tell you where you went wrong, and fix it! Quickly!
On second thought, don't even bother with the intern, i'll do the work for them. You need a 3 step program: -Clearly mark all advertisements -Apologise profusely to your community (the free content generators who make the money for you) -Promise to never do it again. Make a policy to show you mean it. Perhaps remove all advertisements from the website for a week to show just how sorry you are.
You can keep the $8/hour this information is worth. I'm just THAT generous. You're welcome.
I see, /. executes... ARG!
I swear, my address bar says "slashdot.org" but my eyes read "digg.com". What should I believe, the address bar or my lying eyes???
Hello there, Veteran Lurker here!
I too share the sentiments of many users itt.
I wanted to say "Hi" before heading for the exit and make my first post my last. So long, and thanks for all the fish!
I read slashdot a couple times a day. This is embarrassing. Ads along a sidebar: no problem. Disguising ads as "news stories" on your "news site": reprehensible. Disguising them so poorly as this?: Now I'm questioning the intelligence & sanity of everyone who works behind the scenes at slashdot. I wonder how much longer I'll get to read slashdot before it turns into a big pile of crap :'(
So you guys couldn't even go a full 4 months before backing down on the fact that you were going to explicitly mark when you were going to be posting company paid-for slashvertisements...err "sponsored stories"? Wow, fucking disgraceful.
Come to comment that POTS isn't dead. Know why? Telcos that have terrible internet and cell service.
I have a cell and skype, and in an affluent neighborhood north of downtown chicago my skype drops regularly and my cell service is abominable. I can't stay in touch with clients reliably and it is INFURIATING. This is 2012! Argh!
POTS is not dead and won't be until infrastructure can reliably replace it (with power outages, it never will imo), and wtf is it with the advert?
-
I recommend ArsTechnica, it seems a lot of /. posts are coming from them anyway, so you might as well go direct.
Their comments section needs threading though, but if you're after articles rather than discussion, it's way better then here.
If you don't want to honor the checkbox to disable advertising, could you at least add a checkbox to disable video? Slashdot has been an "idle moments at work" pastime for me for years, and as such, I don't watch video -- slashvertisement or otherwise.
And I thought I checked the "Disable Advertising" box on the front page.
I'll be over at reddit.com/r/technology and boingboing.net if anyone needs me.
Public use of any portable music system is a virtually guaranteed indicator of sociopathic tendencies. -- Zoso
The value of Slashdot has been its community, its shared interests and relatively high level of discussion. Can anyone suggest similar communities elsewhere?
Reddit is a different community, less scientifically oriented in its interests and thinking. Maybe Quora? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I hope Slashdot turns things around, but if not, where else can we go?
The problem isn't the ads, but the coverup.
I doubt it's their intent, but the editors should realize that it's deceitful to pretend an ad is editorial content. And from the readers' perspective it's worse, because we don't know what is an ad and what isn't. Readers can spot the obvious ads, but who knows what else on the site is also an ad. Other stories? Comments? Are comments moderated to suite advertisers?
Slashdot needs to publish a policy on journalistic ethics (and follow it, of course). There is nothing wrong with ads or paid content, but just be open and transparent about them.
I'm sure somebody will parse these comments to see how well this advertising move worked out. I have no new issue with Plantronics, somebody probably sold them that Slashdot is a great way to reach tech nerds and IT guys that can influence buying decisions. I can't blame them for targeted advertising, and though I won't be buying or recommending their kit that has nothing to do with this advertisement. Slashdot however has screwed up. You guys aren't dumb, you know why commenters would object to this. You knew in advance it wouldn't go over welI because you can't sit in nerd-stew this long without picking up the flavour of the community. We had a good run but you've tossed in the towel. Shame on you.