Some comments from Broadband Chooza
Hi there,
I just want to say hi and introduce myself. I'm the guy that runs BroadbandChooza and I want to assure you the site is independent and not run by Afrihost or Offerweb. Thank you for checking out the site and thanks for the feedback, I want to know what people think - good or bad so I can keep improving the site.
Earlier this year I was trying to persuade my Dad to get off dial-up and onto broadband. He runs a pool maintenance company and I know being online more would help him promote his business. I found it very difficult to compare packages and I struggled to make an informed choice.
I know how important comparison sites have been in the UK in driving consumer choice and bringing down broadband prices so I decided to start a comparison site in SA.
Why are Openweb and Afrihost so prominent?
I can understand why people may have gotten confused and thought the site was owned by either Afrihost or Openweb. The site is hosted with Afrihost, so if you've done a Whois search you may have come up with their name. They are also the registrars for the Broadbandchooza.co.za URL.
Openweb are the only company with a logo and the reason is to do with my business model and where South Africa is in its internet lifecycle. Let me explain: If the site is to be of any use to consumers is has to have as complete a listing as possible. For this reason I offer free listings to any ISP. That way consumers can get a good comparison of the market.
I do also need to pay for the site upkeep and the way I do this is offer ISPs the option to upgrade the look of their listing if they pay a commission. At the moment, the only ISP with the functionality to pay commission is Openweb.
Impartiality is very important to us and I hope this model strikes a good balance between offering as complete a database as possible, and raising money to keep the site going.
What about the data and small print
The site has over 1000 products listed, and the first wave of data has been collected by hand from ISPs websites, so a few errors may have crept in, sorry we will fix them ASAP.
Going forward we are going to put in place a more robust process to keep it up to date, but if you do notice inaccuracies, please let me know and I will get them changed as soon as possible.
Each listing has a blue i button. If you hover over it will come up with more information about the product. As you know the market is very complex so I've had to strike a balance about what information to show upfront and what to push to the back. I've tried to pitch the site at the novice user (people like my Dad) as those are the people that need the most help finding the right deal. Please let me know if you think the balance can be improved.
I really want this site to be an invaluable tool in helping people choose the right deal for them. It breaks my heart that SA is missing out on all the opportunities that mass broadband adoption brings. This is my way of trying to change that and I hope you agree its a useful thing to try and do.
I'm sure there will be some bumps along the road and some growing pains as the site reaches its full potential. If you think the mission is worthy one then I hope you stay with us and lend your support by letting me know how things can be improved and by telling people about the site.
We have a blog and I've just set up a category for comments and suggestions for improvements, or indeed praise
http://broadbandchooza.co.za/blog/2009/11/feedback/ Or if you prefer email me at
[email protected]
I've put a lot effort into making the site look good. Look and feel is very subjective but if you have some suggestions drop me an email or PM with some specific comments.
Phew - long post
Thanks,
Luke
