My choice for dialup Internet Service Provider: Earthlink -- explanation
John December
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My Choice for Dail-up ISP: EARTHLINK
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I have chosen Earthlink (www.earthlink.net) as my
dial-up Internet Service Provider (ISP). The purpose of
this document is to summarize why I chose Earthlink.
I hope this information helps you in your search
for an Internet Service Provider.
If this information serves your interest, and you choose
Earthlink, please mention my Earthlink user id, "johndecember"
as the referral when calling Earthlink at 1-800-395-8425 to
join. (If you join Earthlink, you can be in this referral
program also and earn free months of service.) Thank you.
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Disclosure: my endorsement of Earthlink is based
on my evaluation of my needs. I do not work for
Earthlink. I receive no compensation for this
endorsement, but I do receive a free month of
service when people join Earthlink by calling
1-800-395-8425 and mention my Earthlink user
id, "johndecember" as the referral for their call.
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MY REQUIREMENTS FOR AN ISP:
1) Dailup access to the Internet for electronic
mail, Web use, Usenet news, FTP, and Telnet.
2) Wide US and global distribution of Point-of-Presence
(POP) dialup access numbers, particularly in Europe
and Far East. For access in areas without a local
dialup number, there should be an 800 number
available (for a reasonable surcharge).
3) Fixed price, unlimited use, billing to
a credit card. Around $20 a month.
4) Clear, reliable, responsive, and Net-savvy online user
information and technical support.
EVALUATION OF POSSIBLE ISPs:
The ISP list (http://www.thelist.com/) is an excellent
starting point for choosing an ISP. There are thousands
of regional ISPs that could supply my requirement (1),
but relatively few ISPs with a national or global view to
supply requirement (2).
I therefore focused on (2) as the requirement that would
most quickly narrow down my list.
I travel throughout the US and the world, I need an
ISP which can provide local POP access in most US cities
and (ideally) major world cities.
I spent time at the Web sites listed at
http://thelist.internet.com/us.html.
I eliminated from consideration:
* Web sites that did *not* provide concise, clear information
on features, particularly how they fit my requirement (2)
and pricing (requirement 3).
* Web sites that were poorly organized, did not respond,
or in some way displayed a lack of professional appearance
or reliability.
I was attracted to:
* Recognizable "brand" names in telecommunications--MCI,
GTE, UUNET, etc.
* ISPs with a record of service (years in business, good
reputation) plus a promise for future growth and
stability (that is, they are leaders in service and
will be in business next year and the next with even
better service).
I was hoping for:
* A company that could integrate all my communication
service needs: local and regional voice telephone,
Internet Service, and Web Hosting.
* A company that had some kind of incentive or cross-marketing
program with my airline frequent flier program (I like
free air travel).
WHAT I DID
I spent hours looking at the Web sites of candidate ISPs; I even
signed up for a couple and tried them out.
WHAT IT CAME DOWN TO
Earthlink fit my requirement (2) very well--they have local
numbers all over the US, in the UK, some other POPs in Europe,
and local numbers in Hong Kong. I couldn't find any other ISP
that did this better.
Many ISP web sites seemed filled with "corporate" information
about themselves and poorly organized and "buried" key
information (my requirements (2) and (3)). "Major" players
in telecommunications like MCI seem CLUELESS when it
comes to the Internet. MCI Internet was a service that
I tried out, but did not like.
THE BOTTOM LINE
What it came down to is that I realized Earthlink knows
what it takes to be an excellent ISP. The others
either didn't have a clue of what to do, couldn't
do it, or weren't there yet. A couple other ISPs were
close in what I wanted, but Earthlink seemed to bring
it all together the way I wanted it.
The Earthlink web site, company information,
and service information said to me: We know what you
want and will give it to you ... We are an
ISP that is made by people who know what
the Internet is and what users face... I felt I had found
someone with experience in the Internet and knew what it
took to "do it right" in being an ISP.
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To join Earthlink, call toll free 1-800-395-8425
and please mention my user id, "johndecember,"
as the referral for your membership. Thank you.
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--
John December http://www.december.com/john/