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WELCOME TO OUR LETTERS DEPARTMENT

Running a high-profile site such has HARVARDNETSUCKED.COM garners us all sorts of recognition, some of it positive and some of it negative. We can safely say that among our favorite aspects of running the site are the letters we get from our viewers. In this section, we print some of the more insightful/informative missives. You are encouraged to mail us at letters@harvardnetsucked.com. Write slowly; we don't read fast. We reserve the right to not print your letter if you reveal yourself as a drooling moron, but we will never edit your content if we do print it.

Mon Jan 8 15:25:05 EST 2001

THE CRY OF THE PAWN

In our little Christmas Rant to Mark Washburn, we put in a link to the Boston Globe that we entitled absolute bullshit spin, referring to the tone and angle of an article written by "Boston Globe Staff" which trumped up the positive aspects of being laid off by New England's top DSL Web Hosting Company. Believe it or not, the subject of the article, David Barlow, has written in, and we're printing his letter, with his approval:

Hey y'all, Since Im sitting around at my new job feeling fairly chuffed I was reading the website (just to see when and who hnet is getting sold to) and I noticed my name popped up under a link regarding washburns bullshit. Needless to say Im a little miffed that I come off appearing like a Washburn toadie (thaaaaankyou). I did get my new job through the job fair, and Im not sure how many company would do that sort of thing for their ex employees (correct me if Im wrong, cause Ive never been laid off before). I did the interview at the job fair at the request of Susan Shelby, the pr director over there at harvardnet, a nice lady who I had been friends with and I have a feeling someone who didnt enjoy what she was doing. If I am just a lapdog I was an unwitting one. I grovel and beg to be again seen as a cynical pissed-off ex hnet employee (of course the interview didnt include the bit when asked what I thought of the layoffs I replied briefly 'it suxs', I know for sure the globe and hnet are closer than a fly to ....anyway). What really should be pointed out is the incredible load of bullshit in the official layoff letter, the bit (and someone can find the correct quote) about 'we apoligise for the suddeness of this but the situation requireing didnt become evident until a few days ago)...bzzzt, try again washy, in speaking to an anonymous HR person they had known about it for 10 days or more. Anyway now I have a job that pays the same, I dont have to talk to customers and I start work at 11am in the morning. Also thanks to Hnet I got a 3 week paid vacation...ha....haha.....hahahahahahahahahah ps *unashamed plug* the referal bonus here is fat, the company is cool (the cto also owns part of the company plus nerdworld) all you tech types send me your resumes at barlow76@yahoo.com David Barlow barlow76@yahoo.com

Thanks for writing in, Dave. It's always good to hear the other side of the story. So, some thoughts on that article and your place in it. The article showed up on the 17th of December, roughly 11 days after HarvardNet was the subject of a somewhat intense amount of scrutiny on the part of this web site and the mass media. During this somewhat emotional time, focus had been made on the fact that HarvardNet had really fundamentally screwed up its business model and core business, and laid off an enormous amount of people. Additionally, they demonstrated how in the course of going into DSL, they'd screwed up and ultimately sacrificed a perfectly reasonable and functioning business simply because they didn't fundamentally understand it. While the previous Boston Globe Stories had bylines, this was a staff filing. You can have a number of reasons why this would be the case, but the most common is because the story was primarily written from a press release. The focus is on David, of course, who was a 24-year-old phone jockey at the company, a job that requires little allegiance and small experience, and which is reknown for the inherent ability to burn out employees regardless. The fact he found a job in a short time is hardly a shock. We're a little worried about the others, of course. It's just a guess, but we suspect influence in the creation of this article from none other than Susan Shelby, the Samurai of Spin. The article focused on how nice it was of HarvardNet to provide a job fair for its terminated employees, what with it being Christmas and all, and a talk about how people were jettisoned from the company into the loving, welcome arms of high-tech firms throughout the New England area. It kind of leaves you with a fuzzy, warm feeling. And as you sink through into the warm, loving haze, you kind of forget the bigger questions: Why were people being laid off in such numbers? How did HarvardNet blow through so much cash so quickly? Why is the management team still in place, considering? Of the 280 people laid off, how many have new jobs waiting?

Turn Off the Routers, the Party's Over... Greetings to the Good People who got out BEFORE the BLOODY AXE FELL, Though I am merely a lowly tech in Maine, I feel I must finally send you lovely folks a note about our experience up here. And yep, I wish to remain psuedo-anonymous, just in case someone decides that I'm an idiot. I'm really freakin' fragile right now... I heard the rumor Monday 12/4 from a friend/co-worker before I came in to work. At work, I was told by several other friendly co-workers that "something is happening on Wednesday." I couldn't sleep for the next 2 nights. Wednesday inevitably rolled around, and with only a couple of exceptions, the entire Westbrook office showed up at 8:30 am to find out what this Mandatory Meeting was all about. Yah, you could cut the tension with a knife and all the other cliches. Jim DeAngelo, after introducing himself (as most of us had no idea who the hell this guy was) gave us the news; "That all, folks. Enjoy the buffet, you'll be here until January 15th." We were a bit stunned. We were expecting lay-offs...not the entire office folding! The funniest thing happened, though; in the hour or so after the announcement, office morale SKYROCKETED. We were all in the same situation, no reasons to be bitter at each other or Jim. (Most of us actually respected him for having the guts to come to Maine and face us. Sure, the bodyguard may have seemed a little unnecessary, but you know how people can so stressed during the holidays...) We had our own little "hoedown-thingy" up here that night. Yep, grabbed a couple o' those big ass HarvardNet banners they made us put on the walls a few months ago, hung them up in the bar...and a good number of us proceded to get stupid drunk... From accounts so far, most of us had a pretty good time doing it too. I HATE DOING TECH SUPPORT FOR RUDE, IGNORANT LITTLE PISSANTS WHO CAN'T FREAKIN' READ A MANUAL OR HELP FILE. Yes, there were some nice folks in the mix, but not nearly enough to make this job worthwhile. What did, then? The frickin' $$$, that's what. This is the best paid job I've ever had (this is Maine, after all) and yeah, I learned some of the basics of networking an' stuff. But I don't care about this crap. How can I? Same problems EVERY DAY: "My sales rep won't return my calls! I was PROMISED that XYZ would be done YESTERDAY!" "I can't get my email! Your service is terrible!!" (Well, let's take a look at your settings/etc. What is your email program? "Internet Explorer..." "My DSL has been down for the past 35 seconds!! I want a Tech dispatched to my site IMMEDIATELY!!! (Ummm, when you signed that "Service Level Agreement" in the blood of your first-born, did you actually READ IT?!) I guess I could go consult or something. Hell, I can alway call Tech Support...God knows THEY did...(You'll need to talk to your System Admin about this. I can't Support your internal network issues. "But I AM the System Admin..." And please don't tell me I'm hopelessly naive, ignorant, etc. I know THAT, fer chrissakes...I attempting to vent, that's all. I know that ANY company/corporation is like HarvardNet: * Management is more important than employees. (usually.) * The more you know, the more the ignorant look for ways to get rid of you so you will stop embarassing them. (does that sound familiar to anyone?) * The customer has a right to tear my head off, but only to a certain point.(then i can let them tear my manager's head off.) * The more the customer pays, the more important they are.(ooooch, yea) * Most times, training consists of being thrown to the wolves. (especially if you don't work days) I'm going home now...but I'm really only marginally disgruntled. (today, anyway)

Fri Nov 10 10:28:22 EST 2000

FIRST HATE MAIL

This missive came in recently. From: "Chill Out and Good Luck" To: Subject: Relax boys Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2000 22:01:19 -0500 HI, I've been @ HNET for just about 2 years, happy and proud. Sorry your experience proved to be otherwise. Jason, the real inside word is that you never did shit for HNET anyway, got fired, and this is your supposed revenge. I have no idea what the truth is, and I don't care. Were you really that mistreated? C'mon, I worked for 14 years in the food biz for pennies, and it was twice as bad as this. This industry is small and incestuous. There are now 500 employees of HNET that know your names and will tell 500 more about your legacy. NOT a good thing to have on your resume. Why would you work this hard toward screwing over some of the people that you used to work with (ie: potential HNET customers visit your site, don't buy from HNET, HNET looses money, your friends get screwed)?! Bottom line is that there are a lot (more than you might think you know) of hard working dedicated employees here, and your site is taking away from our hard work. WE hope to have a future here, and you and your gang are putting a thorn in our side. Why not leave quietly and professionally? You and your gang are hurting our futures in trying to run a solid company. Please remember that there are people here trying to make an honest living. We'll see what kind of person you really are, if you've got the guts to post THIS letter front and center. If you are going to post the negativity, you ought to post all views as well. Signed, Making it Work Our thoughts: A shame the inside word is wrong on several counts. Maybe you're not as inside as you think. Rumors don't go on resumes. Your third paragraph implies a hostage situation. No such situation exists. One would think, on its face, that the site called "HarvardNet" would post the positive spin on HarvardNet, the site called "HarvardNetSucks" would post the negative spin, and a previously non-existent balance would be achieved. By Solid, do you mean "Not liquid or gas?"

Thu Nov 2 13:15:54 EST 2000

A MESSAGE FROM BRENT PAINE, FOUNDER OF IME.NET

From: "BKP" Subject: Second Founder 2 for 2 Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2000 23:59:59 -0400 Dear Harvardnetsucks.com, I am the founder of Internet Maine (ime.net) and the former President/COO of HarvardNet. I first learned of your website when a friend of mine emailed me the link. I would love to say I was surprised or at least angered by it. However, I am neither. The only surprise I have is why no one did it sooner and the only anger I have is why things were allowed to get to a point where not only would an ex-employee feel enough anger to bother but that both founders and many other people involved with the company would actually lend their support to the site. When I left HarvardNet in September 1998 I was doing what I thought was in the best interest of the company. HarvardNet was at the edge of incredible opportunity and I wanted HarvardNet to have every advantage. This included having leaders with more experience and know-how to really maximize all the chances coming its way. I was excited and so were the people who worked there. The next two years were an eye-opener for me. In my opinion the new management failed completely to lead the company in a viable direction. From my perspective they systematically ruined the strong employee morale that was the backbone of so much magic at HarvardNet. And in my opinion, they repeatedly dropped the ball on customer service, and customer satisfaction. Even now, despite the two years since I have been actively at HarvardNet I receive emails asking me for help. I do what I can. Even one less customer complaining is a success. Every morning I wake up and hope that today is the day the board will realize that some serious changes need to be made. Every day I wonder why they are so willing to throw away the hundreds of millions of dollars invested into this company. Each day I think that maybe, just maybe, today is the day it all comes together. I'm still hoping, and tomorrow is only a few hours away.... Sincerely; Brent Paine

Mon Oct 23 21:43:43 EDT 2000

A MESSAGE FROM BILL SOUTHWORTH, FOUNDER OF HARVARDNET

This showed up in our mailbox tonight:

From: Bill Southworth To: brokenpromises@harvardnetsucks.com Subject: Comment from founder Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 20:02:13 -0400 Hello - Your site has been enlightening and saddening. I was the founder of HarvardNet. I built it to a $5M profitable business and we had nearly zero customer complaints. I resigned as CEO just before the IPO to make room for the "proven team" that the investment community wanted to see and I resigned as Chairman and from the board early this year in disgust over what I perceived as a lack of sensitivity that the management team had for customers. At the time I parted company with HarvardNet I tried to bring in some new blood to the board. By that point I had been complaining for so long about a company that burned money, employees, and customers with equal ease, that my complaints just fell on the deaf ears of HarvardNet's institutional investors. I have very high regard for the board members from Sturm, Vulcan, Osborn and Heidi Heiden (the independent outside replacement for my board seat). Unfortunately, they don't control the company and haven't been able to change the corporate culture of customer and employee neglect. A few years back I was an unhappy customer of MFS, XCOM and BBN. I blame myself that I was not able to stop the same uncaring attitudes from taking over HarvardNet. I hope it's not too late for HarvardNet to change. HarvardNet still has some good people who really care, a potentially great network infrastructure, and many fine customers that have been patient for far too long. ------------------------------ Bill Southworth

Thank you, Mr. Southworth. We're sorry we didn't get the chance to work with you.