Techie News Service
05-17-2004, 06:11 AM
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It appears that Fox is feeling the impact of the "Idol Voting Effect." While perhaps not as well known in techie circles as the "Slashdot Effect" of taking down a website when Slashdot points to you, Fox is trying to talk its way around reports that the company's phone lines <a target=_top href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/custom/wire/ats-ap_entertainment11may16,0,5807898.story?coll=sns-ap-topentertainment">couldn't handle the rush of phone calls from folks looking to vote in the latest American Idol TV show</a>. Apparently the problem was caused by jammed local phone lines, rather than long distance phone lines. Also, it sounds like the way around the problem was to just use text messaging - since those appeared to go through without a problem. Either way, when you know you have such a popular event coming up, you would think that the show would make an extra effort to make sure such problems wouldn't occur or come up with simple workarounds in case they do.
]]>{br}{br}View the Entire Article (http://techdirt.com/articles/20040517/0012235.shtml){br}
It appears that Fox is feeling the impact of the "Idol Voting Effect." While perhaps not as well known in techie circles as the "Slashdot Effect" of taking down a website when Slashdot points to you, Fox is trying to talk its way around reports that the company's phone lines <a target=_top href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/custom/wire/ats-ap_entertainment11may16,0,5807898.story?coll=sns-ap-topentertainment">couldn't handle the rush of phone calls from folks looking to vote in the latest American Idol TV show</a>. Apparently the problem was caused by jammed local phone lines, rather than long distance phone lines. Also, it sounds like the way around the problem was to just use text messaging - since those appeared to go through without a problem. Either way, when you know you have such a popular event coming up, you would think that the show would make an extra effort to make sure such problems wouldn't occur or come up with simple workarounds in case they do.
]]>{br}{br}View the Entire Article (http://techdirt.com/articles/20040517/0012235.shtml){br}