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Lisa Hronek Uncategorized
Take a drive with Flo
Do you ever wonder where insurance companies come up with their premium costs? And how they can evaluate your risk of getting into an accident compared to your neighbor’s? Can they really tell that much about you just by knowing what kind of car your drive, where you live and how old you are?
Progressive’s new Snapshot Discount program offers savings while giving consumers a feeling of greater personalization and perhaps control over their auto insurance premium. This new strategy from Progressive goes beyond simply entering your information into the system and hoping the pre-determined metrics come up with some savings for you. According to Progressive’s website, Snapshot Discount is “a personalized car insurance discount you earn by driving less, in safer ways and during safer times of day. The better you drive, the more you can save.”With promises of up to 30%savings in 30 days, I was more than a little curious to research this innovative tactic.
Snapshot is currently available to Progressive customers in more than 25 states. If you sign up for Snapshot Discount, you will receive a device that plugs into the on-board diagnostic (OBD) port of your car. This little gadget can track how often you drive, when you drive and it can even asses your driving skills. This device will actually tell Progressive if you are an aggressive driver or if you frequently slam on the breaks. Talk about a back seat driver, well front seat, I guess!
For 30 days you drive around with this device plugged in, after which time Progressive will analyze your driving habits in order to determine what discounts, if any, can be applied to your policy. With a promise of up to 30% in savings, driving around with this little device seems totally worthwhile.
If you’re worried about privacy, it might help to know that this Snapshot device does not have a GPS, so while Progressive might be able to track your mileage and habits, they can’t see where you are.
So, are you ready to let your insurance company in the car with you?
Does Facebook know my friends better than I do?
I’ve blogged quite a bit recently about social networking news, so when I read an article in USAToday about Facebook’s new facial recognition feature, I just had to comment. This latest update to the social networking behemoth’s repertoire has me intrigued, nervous and a little insulted all at the same time.
According to the article in USAToday, Facebook is scheduled to release a new feature called Tag Suggestions before the end of December. Tag Suggestions, as its name quite accurately describes, will use Facebook’s own facial recognition technology to match photos not yet tagged, to similar faces in your network of friends and automatically suggest the friend you should tag in that photo. The biggest concern most users will have is the issue of privacy. Supposedly, this new feature will also include an opt-out option if you don’t want your name to show up as a possible suggestion on someone else’s photo.
I’m intrigued by this new feature mostly because it sounds like something that you see in all those legal dramas like CSI and Law and Order. I’ll be anxious to see if the technology is as accurate as what the FBI uses to catch criminals and whether Facebook will be able to identify everyone dancing the Hora in my wedding photos.
What makes me nervous is the issue of privacy. Yes, Facebook give users the ability to opt-out, but for those who don’t, what does it mean? Perhaps retailers and online marketers can hone in on a similar technology that will make their brand name pop up anytime a user sends a chat with specific key words in it. Or what if someone’s face in recognized in a photo taken in front of their car? Will auto insurance companies with Facebook pages be able to target those users? Where will Facebook draw the line?
The insult comes from the sheer fact that I take this to mean that Facebook thinks it knows my friends better than I do. In my mind, if I want to tag a friend in a photo, I would simply enter their name into the clearly labeled box.
So what do you think about the Facebook feature? Is this a privacy issue or an opportunity to ramp up connections in your social network?
Will you cut the cord?
Consumers ditching their cable providers for other options have become a real threat to cable companies. According to research firm SNL Kagen, Q3 2010 marked the second consecutive quarterly drop in U.S. TV cable subscribers. While there are many potential factors on a consumer’s decision to cut the cord, cable operators cannot avoid the obvious threat of advanced online video options. While some of these cord-cutters have turned to free over-the-air programming, many have moved entirely to online video options.
With advanced internet-based products being introduced, such as Google TV, Roku set-top and Apple TV, plus immediate online streaming of many television shows, consumers have many options when it comes to satisfying their TV fix. How can the cable providers keep their market share?
According to the Wall Street Journal, Comcast, the largest paid television operator, is testing a new service that will combine traditional television and the Internet. The service will combine Web video streaming, traditional cable and DVR capabilities in a set-top box. The test is being conducted in Augusta, GA and is known as “Spectrum” to participants. The service does not allow consumers to freely browse the internet and the company has not released information on what content will be available or the pricing structure.
Other top cable companies such as DIRECTV and Verizon, are embracing (a.k.a. forced to integrate) new technology by offering web-based capabilities through their boxes. But how do they measure up to online options in terms of pricing, capabilities and service?
Recently, I pondered cutting the cable cord myself. I have a like-hate (not love-hate) relationship with my cable provider. My box freezes frequently and channels are constantly unavailable. PLUS, it seems like the price of my service is always increasing! When I call customer service, it is difficult to get any real help. The standard line is “unplug your cable box for 30 seconds and plug it back in.” Generally, this solution is given before I even explain the problem!
Most TV shows I watch on a regular basis are available free on the web, so the only thing keeping me “plugged in” is my love for live sports. As Google TV and other internet-based options identify ways to broadcast live sports, or live events in general, I think more and more people are going to cut the cord.