[asterisk-biz] VoIP 9-1-1 failure - don't let it happen to you

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Peter Beckman wrote:
> On Fri, 2 May 2008, Jay R. Ashworth wrote:
>
>   
>> On Thu, May 01, 2008 at 08:38:49PM -0700, Trevor Peirce wrote:
>>     
>>> I can't see anything sick about sharing information about a service that
>>> can help save lives and I'm sorry it offended you.
>>>       
>> You weren't sharing information about your service, per se.
>>
>> You were using the actual death of an actual person as an advertising
>> point.  Yeah, it's a bit tacky.  We'll be sure to forward the message
>> and your home address to the family of the decedent.
>>     
>
>   I really don't see what the problem is.  It is horrible tragedy that
>   someone lost their life possibly due to their VoIP 911 service not routing
>   correctly.  How is it so horrible that this tragedy is a good reminder to
>   us all that we need to know who are vendors are, what their systems are
>   capable of, and that we should remember to do something about it?
>
>   And what's the problem with Trevor letting people know that he is
>   concerned about people's safety and ability to reach 911, and is willing
>   to put his own name and company on the line to provide this service?
>
>   The tragedy highlighted a problem in this industry, and Trevor says he has
>   a good solution for it.  If he truly does, then by evaluating and
>   potentially using Trevor and his company to fill a gap in your 911 service
>   saves a life, I don't see his post as inappropriate in the least.
>
>   I don't see Trevor chasing ambulances.  (And pretty much everyone on this
>   list posts either for help or to offer their services to this community.)
>   I read the email, and he said here's a problem we should as a VoIP
>   community avoid, and I have experience in dealing with it, and here's what
>   I do and how it works and because I do it right it could save lives if you
>   use it.  (Obviously, independently evaluate his claims yourself.)
>
>   Trevor, I don't have any problem with what you posted.  I think you
>   presented it fairly, it IS a real problem in this industry with people
>   offering service without really knowing how it works or possibly doing it
>   right, and if you do indeed "do it right" then I hope people use your
>   service and can rid the news of this story every hitting the press again.
>
> Beckman
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Peter Beckman                                                  Internet Guy
> beckman at angryox.com                                 http://www.angryox.com/
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>   

Marketing using FUD always leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It's like the 
people who capitalised on the fear of the Y2K bug to sell uneducated 
people exceptionally expensive and unnecessary 'survival kits.' 

Yes, it's capitalism. But not all capitalism is savoury -- even to all 
capitalists.

That said, I don't think Trevor's necessarily harming his reputation or 
anything by doing the equivalent of showing a picture of a robbery and 
shouting "vigilance!"  However, you can't expect that sort of marketing 
tactic to sit well with everyone. It's been proven time and time again 
that, while it's quite easy to sell things that way, it never makes 
people feel good about the purchase.

N.