Welcome! Grab a warm beverage and settle in a spot somewhere comfortable for the July edition of the Westnet Newsletter.

To say last month’s musings on customer service roused a bit of feedback would be an understatement indeed! Thanks to everyone who took the time to send in their own experiences with service (both good and bad) and also for the tips on how to ensure you get service with a smile.

This month, we’re inviting you to send in turns-of-phrase which irritate you, or instances of incorrect use of language. Here are a few we thought of just to get your mind ticking over:

• Should of (should have)
• Arks (ask)
• Everythink (everything)

We could go on!

So let’s get into what you can expect this month. There’s the usual inside-look of what’s going on in the world of technology and this beautiful thing we call the internet – plus a bunch of stories you might find helpful or interesting.

There are two movie competitions this month; passes to see the action film G.I. JOE: The Rise of the Cobra as well as the chance to see the battle of the sexes on the silver screen, The Ugly Truth.

The 13th Annual Webby Awards were announced on 8 June 2009 at a star-studded dinner and gala in New York City. They’re the leading international award honouring excellence on the internet in categories like websites, interactive advertising, online film and video and mobile. Bigger and more bombastic every year, The Webby Awards is presented to the world by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.

This years host was Saturday Night Live comedic genius Seth Meyers, who had guests giggling with his witty (yet super internet-savvy) repertoire all evening – if you’re not too easily offended you can catch Seth’s opening monologue right here. The evening also saw Trent Reznor, Cameron Diaz, Jimmy Fallon, Lisa Kudrow, Sarah Silverman and Biz Stone (co-founder of Twitter) all grace the stage.

2009 saw tremendous growth of the internet as a tool for business and everyday lives and to reflect this change, the Awards expanded by honouring over 100 categories. The winners were announced in May and a select few were invited to accept their award at the gala, delivering the infamous five-word-maximum acceptance speech. You can check out the full list of winners on the Webby Awards site here, but here are a few for your immediate enjoyment:

Webby Breakout of the Year = Twitter

Webby Person of the Year = Jimmy Fallon

Outstanding Comedic Performance = Lisa Kudrow

Best Automotive Website = The Truth About Smart

Best Copy/Writing = New York Times

Best Homepage = adidas.com

You have to giggle when things step outside the boundaries of what is the norm for their type and all of a sudden develop a funky new name or turn-of-phrase.

Example One – ‘supermodel’ (although being 6’3” probably does count as a superpower),

Example Two – ‘global financial crisis’. A controversial one, sure, but can it really be global if only the top earners are massively affected by it?

Example Three – ‘smartphones’. Should mobile phones be considered smart just because they started offering advanced capabilities and PC-esque functionalities?

The simple answer? Yes.

If most smartphones have the basic functionality of a laptop or notebook (wouldn’t you rather carry a 200g device over a 2-3kg one?), why are there so many on the market and what’s the difference between them all? In no particular order, here are some of the best Australia has to offer:

iPhone
A few months back, the iPhone was the best smartphone on the market. Hands down. Aesthetically beautiful, intelligent operating system, ground-breaking touchscreen and ‘that’ application store. Still, there was a lot missing (no ability to send picture messages or to forward text messages) but these hiccups have been addressed with the new iPhone 3GS (and if you can’t afford this newer version of the iPhone, a free software update has been made available which will bring your iPhone up to speed).

Blackberry Bold 9000/Blackberry Storm
One for the Blackberry fans (and there are a lot of them!). These models are feature-rich with the wonderful familiarity of a QWERTY keyboard. One for the business-folk.

Nokia E71
The Blackberry may have started it and the iPhone revolutionised it, but many people who are Nokia mobile phone diehards were waiting very patiently for their smartphone offering. The E71 has excellent features, a sleek design and super-smart performance. Best of all? It’s one of the most affordable on the market.

Google G1
They own the search engine market, so why not have a go with a smartphone? With a huge screen, slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a 3.2 megapixel camera, this will satisfy the Google-lovers everywhere.

For a number of years now, Australians have been preparing for the arrival of digital television. Most of us aren’t too fussed with the ins-and outs of how this stuff works – we’re just looking forward to the benefits this technology is promising to bring.

We hear ‘Digital TV’ mentioned all the time, but what do we really know about it, why we are switching and most importantly, will you have to do anything?

TV in Australia had always been broadcast using analog signals. Digital TV simply switches up the way television signals are sent and then received in TV’s around the country. At the moment, Australian TV is using both analog and digital signals (the ABC has already introduced a digital-only channel, ABC2 and Channel 10 has a sports-only channel, One) but analog signals will be phased out between 2010 and 2013.

What’s so good about digital TV?
The big benefits are higher definition, much better picture and sound quality, more free-to-air TV stations, fewer interruptions or delay in your signal and the ability to see pictures in widescreen.

As mentioned, the rollout phase is scheduled to kick off in 2010 and expected to finish by 2013 but if you want digital TV now – go for it! Digital TV is available now in most areas and you can check the rollout map here for full details.

What will it cost you?
There are two options when switching to digital TV. The cheapest is to purchase a digital set-top box to connect to your existing analog TV. These start at just under $100 (better quality equipment is available for closer to $200).

A better solution for the long term would be to purchase a television with an integrated digital tuner. Clearly this option is the pricey one but given analog TV signals will be switched off in 2013, it’s a necessary evil (eventually!).

It’s worth pointing out here digital TV and TV over the internet are not the same (in fact, they’re very different).

Stay tuned to an upcoming edition of the Westnet Newsletter to learn all about internet TV!

Westnet, Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment in association with Hasbro, are giving members the chance to win one of 30 in-season double passes to see G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra, the latest in a series of iconic-childhood-memories-of-playing-with-action-figures – only at the movies August 6.

Check this out for a cast: Sienna Miller, Channing Tatum, Dennis Quaid, Marlon Wayans and Rachel Nicols.

Set ten years in the future, G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra is an origin story showing the rise of the Cobra Organisation. The film focuses on Duke (Tatum) and Ripcord’s (Wayans) induction into the G.I. Joe team – and what an induction it is!

From the Egyptian desert to deep below the polar ice caps, the elite G.I. JOE team uses the latest in next-generation spy and military equipment to fight the corrupt arms dealer Destro and the growing threat of the mysterious Cobra organization.

For your chance to win one of 30 in-season double passes to G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra, simply make sure you click the Enter button in the Westnet Newsletter in your inbox. Entries are limited to one per Westnet username. The competition closes at 12.01am (WST) on Wednesday 5 August 2009.

The special offers don’t stop once you become a Westnet member; in fact, they come through thick and fast! For updates and full details on great pressies like unmetered content through Westnet Freezone and RSVP, simply hit up this page!

Westnet and Sony Pictures are giving members the chance to win one of 30 in-season double passes to see The Ugly Truth, the 2009 battle of the sexes on the big screen starring Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler, only in cinemas August 6.

A romantically challenged morning show producer‘s (Heigl) search for Mr Perfect has left her hopelessly single. Suddenly she is reluctantly embroiled in a series of outrageous tests by her chauvinistic correspondent (Butler) to prove his theories on relationships and help her find love. His clever ploys, however, lead to the unexpected result – she finds love as he falls in love with her.

For your chance to win one of 30 in-season double passes to The Ugly Truth, simply make sure you click the Enter button in the Westnet Newsletter in your inbox. Entries are limited to one per Westnet username. The competition closes at 12.01am (WST) on Wednesday 5 August 2009.

How can I make my password as safe as possible?

Passwords should be easy for you to remember but difficult for others to guess.

Family names, pet names, your nickname, simple numbers and especially the word ‘password’ are super-simple to guess so you should avoid these – they really are a security risk.

The best thing to do is use a mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols (like #, * and !).

A combination of two or three words with capital letters placed at unusual spots throughout is easy for you to remember and renders a password much more secure.

Don’t forget: never write your password down and never share it with anyone – especially over email!

After a long spell of mild Summer-esque weather, the West has finally begun to experience some woolly-winter weather and to be honest, it’s quite a relief!

The onset of wind and rain came at the same time as a number of Westnet staff members jumped the Pacific to visit the shores of the US of A (purely a coincidence, we assure you). Upon return, there was an overwhelming consensus that while Americans may be renowned for many things, a reputation for super service isn’t one of them.

But it should be.

From the assistants at LAX to the ushers at Madison Square or Yankee Stadium…in fact , even the NYPD’s tagline on the side of their patrol cars is Courtesy, Professionalism, Respect. Sure, it makes sense for waitstaff to deliver great service (they need to in order to ensure a good tip), but what about all those who aren’t driven by the prospect of a dollar? It is truly a beautiful thing and Americans should be very proud.

When you work for an award-winning customer service company, it’s easy to assume great service is everywhere because you are surrounded by it every day. So it’s not until a visit overseas you realise how bad the general customer service is in Australia. When was the last time you went through a checkout and were told by the staff it was their pleasure to serve you and to please have a wonderful day? How often do you go through a drive-through and hear a clear, polite, helpful and articulate voice through the speakerbox?

We’d love to hear about some of your customer service experiences, both good and bad. Just use the comment field under this article and let us know.

In this edition of the Westnet newsletter we’ve got heaps to give away – including the opportunity to WIN a $5,000 Bankwest account and tickets to see Transformers 2.

Remember, if you have any comments or recommendations for the Westnet Newsletter please email us at newsletter@westnet.com.au. We trust you will enjoy our June edition and we wish you the best of luck for our competitions!

We were delighted to announce in April Westnet Mobile Broadband is now setting Australian’s free.

Right now, we’d like to ensure you are amongst the first to know we have extended our ‘‘Plump up your Package’ offer until the end of June 2009!

Call us now on 13 19 60 and find out if Mobile Broadband is available in your area from $19.95 per month!

FREE Mobile Broadband Modem!

Set yourself free with Westnet Mobile Broadband for 24 months and we’ll give you a FREE modem (worth $199). This modem is capable of speeds up to 7.2mbps with the average expected speed to be between 500kbps and 1.5Mbps.

Plump up your Package with up to 2GB FREE!

For a limited time only, you can ‘Plump up your Package’ – choose an eligible Post-Paid plan to get up to an extra 2GB of data allowance during your first full month.

Sign up before 30 June 2009* to take advantage of this offer and ask our friendly staff whether you will receive 1GB or 2GB for FREE on the plan you choose.

If you have already contacted us and found that our Mobile Broadband service does not yet cover your area, please check back with us soon – availability is constantly improving with upgrades to the network and changes in the way people use the service. In the last two weeks an extra 1.7 million people have been added to the serviceable population in Australia.

We look forward to helping get you connected!

Terms and Conditions
*Offer valid for Post-Paid Mobile Broadband member sign ups only until 31 May 2009. Additional Data Allowance quotas will vary depending on the type of plan chosen and whether Mobile Broadband is combined with a Westnet Phone, DSL, Unlimited Dialup or Satellite service. Additional Data Allowance will be applied to the account from the first day of the first full month after activation. ¹ When combined with a Phone, DSL, Unlimited Dialup or Satellite service. ² Westnet charges 10c per MB for usage over and above your monthly data allowance. You’ll receive a handy warning when you are about to use up all your monthly allowance (in case you’ve forgotten!). Usage is counted from the first day of the calendar month, expiring on the last day of the calendar month.