donal's blog

So I got roped into trying to help folk here buy pre-sale tickets for snow patrol this morning... the issue? The link in the email they sent didn't work... here's the link they sent: http://zaphod.uk.vvhp.net/click/1934040-103838/zaph%0A+od.uk.vvhp.net/v-v/36df2d5ea6eba5242b7de32917-1934040 here's what they meant to send: http://zaphod.uk.vvhp.net/click/1934040-103838/zaphod.uk.vvhp.net/v-v/36df2d5ea6eba5242b7de32917-1934040 It looks like the link got mangled by the software they use to create the mailouts for the fanclub. %0A equates to a CR and the + to a space. Of course, ticketmaster are frustrating fans further because none of the Irish dates are available this morning... From the looks of the 2 dates visible in the system, they got the start date of the pre-sale wrong (20 Aug and not 19 Aug). Got to wonder why we pay them so much when they can't get stuff like this right... UPDATE @ 12:35: Looks like ticketmaster resolved the pre-sale issues this morning fans can ...

There was a question on RTÉ's Questions and Answers programme this week regarding facebook and privacy on the Internet. The responses from the panel were not well informed - they confused the issue between privacy afforded to users of a service by the service provider and the issue of keeping your data private from the general public. The two issues are totally different and need to be addressed separately... How service providers can use the information you upload to their service is very important. We're all familiar with the tick boxes on marketing boxes letting you opt in or out of the ability for them to use your data to pass on to partners and 3rd parties (the majority of companies require you to opt out - default is opt in). Many online service providers use data from their users to improve the service and I personally do not have an issue with them doing this as long as they are transparent about how they are using it. With regards closing an account, it is reasonable ...