Welcome to the May edition of the Westnet Newsletter!

Did you know May is rumoured to have been named for the Greek goddess Maia who is identified with fertility – and that’s why we start planting seeds in May? Well, OK – while part of that may not be entirely true, there is truth to the rumour you should plant your tulip bulbs on or around Mother’s Day in May.

They go hand in hand, don’t they? A beautiful bloom for our beautiful Mums!

A big bevy of giveaways this month with our movie competitions (yessum – there are two!). Undoubtedly the most anticipated film of the year, Terminator Salvation comes wrapped in a bow ready for you, with a special review by one of our super-staff members, Matthew Long. We’ve also got passes to see Year One, the newest comedy featuring Jack Black. On the music front we’ve got copies of Depeche Mode’s Sounds of the Universe, as well as the latest from folk-out rocker Ben Harper – teaming up with Relentless7 to bring us White Lies for Dark Times. Handy Hint to Win #1 = keep in mind if you’d like to enter our comps, enter them via the links from this email.

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 May edition and we wish you the best of luck for our competitions!

Westnet is really, really excited to announce we have launched Mobile Broadband across Australia (except the Northern Territory and Tasmania – hold tight, it’s on its way!).

We’re helping Aussies stay connected and get online access with our award-winning customer service.
Westnet Mobile Broadband is simply mobile or wireless internet at broadband speeds. So what does that mean for you? The freedom and simplicity of internet while you’re on the go. Take your laptop to the park in peace, or to your local café – almost anywhere you want.

Plus, it’s so easy to set up (hooray!).

We know you don’t want costly, complicated installations.

We know you do want really affordable plans from $19.95* per month.

We know you deserve to be rewarded with extra benefits by choosing to combine Westnet Mobile Broadband with other Westnet products (like Broadband, Dialup or Phone).

We know you deserve the payment choice of pre-paid or post-paid.

Westnet Mobile Broadband covers areas across most of Australia where other networks don’t and that’s important to us, and our regional members.

You know you want more info – so call our Sales team now on 13 19 60, or check out our website here.

Imagine having an award-winning customer service company delivering premium internet AND a brand new bank account full with $5,000 and your name on it…

It doesn’t just happen in the movies.

All you have to do is kick off with any one of these residential services:
•    Broadband1
•    Broadband2+
•    Mobile Broadband
•    Satellite Broadband
•    Dialup
•    Phone
•    Email Protection

Then visit the Bankwest promotional pages on the Westnet website and enter your details for your chance to WIN!

Think of all the stuff you could do with $5k…

Now stop day dreaming and make it happen!

Click here to enter

A wonderful way to kick off a giving Easter-vibe, Westnet was thrilled to deliver the Starlight Foundation the pumping purple Starlight Express Van during a ‘big kids party’ on Thursday 9th of April.

The presentation took place in the forecourt of the Central Park building in Perth’s CBD to a crowd bursting with Westnet staff, Starlight volunteers, Captain Starlight and a sea of onlookers.

The Starlight Express Van (SEV) takes the magic of Captain Starlight on the road to hospitals which have limited or no entertainment for children. Starlights unique team of Captain Starlight’s are fully trained professionals skilled in delivering ‘positive distraction’ entertainment to seriously and chronically ill children and young people. To these kids, Captain Starlight is a magic super hero who brings a massive ray of sunshine to their lives, helping them forget, even if just for a moment, their pain.

When 40% of children with a chronic illness live in regional Australia, the Starlight Express Van has a lot of work to do!

Western Australia is the only state in Australia to successfully have a Starlight Van this year (all other states have withdrawn their financial support due to the economic downturn), and Westnet couldn’t be prouder to be a part of their inspirational work.

Congratulations to S. Presland of Blue Haven in New South Wales for winning a $1500 Flight Centre Gift Card in our Long Distance Call promotion.

We hope you enjoyed staying in touch over Easter – almost as much as you’re sure to enjoy the gift card. Happy travels!

Westnet is proud to announce through our recent partnership with iiNet products Naked DSL, Business VOIP and SIP Trunking are now available to Westnet Business customers.

Interested?

Call our Business Team on 1300 786 006, or via email at business@westnet.com.au.

As much as there seems to be fascination with Twitter there is the fascination about Twitter.

The argument for? Satisfying the voyeur in all of us. Those who started on MySpace and Bebo moved to Facebook and are now clinging to this latest in social networking sites.

The argument against? Why would anyone want to read short messages about what someone else is having for breakfast? Inane indeed.

Looking in from the outside, these 140-character-limit individual messages seem, let’s be honest, ridiculous. But if you were to view the idea as a whole, the collection of messages is a striking, honest stare at how the world is thinking right now. Some have suggested it may even hint at some answers to big picture questions (when you can figure out what defines a big picture question!).

An extreme example? In early April, protestors in Moldova used Twitter as a rallying tool while fellow Twitterers across the globe checked out their tweets to discover the social and political unrest in this little known country.
Evan Williams, the co-founder and chief executive said, “In the best cases, Twitter makes people smarter and faster and more efficient.”

The easiest way to describe Twitter would be to say it’s text messaging over the internet, but like sending a message to your entire Contacts list instead of just one intended recipient.

Tagged words and shared links within a tweet serve as a great cheat to let you know the hottest topics of the day. At the time of writing, Happy Earth day, American Idol and the never-been kissed British songstress Susan Boyle were massive trends.

On the ‘Following’ and ‘Follower’ front, you can ensure your updates are a stream of information tailored to you and your interests, based on who you follow and who you choose to allow follow you.

The millions who love Twitter also claim it’s a great way of humanising celebrities (if that’s your thing…). It helps break down the guarded wall created around them… their grammatically incorrect tweets reaffirm they are just like us (check out Miley Cyrus’s homepage for proof!).

In essence, the past is nowhere near as huge as the future. Five years ago, you never would have imagined relationships could flourish or falter based purely on online interaction.

Now, you can.

Tell us what you think!

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, Recommend a Friend and SAVE $40 and RSVP, simply hit up this page!