Keep Up on the Latest Buzz Words

Posted By: Ed Thursday, August 31, 2000 9:18:29 AM

getAbstract.com has continued its efforts in knowledge compression by announcing that its business book abstracts now can be downloaded onto Palm devices. The abstracts - currently available in English and German - include key concepts, a professional summary, salient quotes, a no-nonsense critique, background information on the author, the newest "buzz words," and a candid, proprietary rating. These abstracts reduce the amount of time executives have to spend keeping current on the latest advancements in business, management and strategy. Update: This service isn't free is was previously reported. It is a free part of a $299 subscription.

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Doesn't look free according to the website

I.M. Anonymous @ 8/31/2000 4:43:43 PM #

Hmmm, I poked around the website and it looks like you need a "KnowledgePass" which is a membership that lasts 12 months and costs $299. After you have that membership, you can download as many abstracts as you want.

Neat idea . . . but since I'm not a CEO, it looks kinda pricey to me. :-)

RE: Doesn't look free according to the website

Ed @ 9/1/2000 8:12:31 AM #

Sorry, you are completely correct. I was fooled by the press release and the first two pages I went to referring to this service repeatedly as free. As you pointed out, eventually the site admits this is free... after you pay $299. More than a bit deceptive.

Again, I'm sorry for steering you wrong.

---
Plenipotentiary
Palm InfoCenter

RE: Doesn't look free according to the website

Dobelli @ 9/3/2000 4:03:23 PM #

Hi I am the guy who started getAbstract. I have already responded to the comments on the newsgroup. Yes, the KnowledgePass costs $299 per year. Anyway, we are trying to figure out how to better offer the content of hundreds of business book abstracts on the Palm. I would love to hear your inputs and comments. Everyone who helps improving our product offer receives the KnowledgePass for free.

Send me your comments together with your name, e-mail address, country, zip and industry and I will activate a KnowledgePass for you.

Best,

Rolf Dobelli
Founder & Chairman
GetAbstract

rolf.dobelli@getAbstract.com

Not Free

Scott @ 8/31/2000 8:21:00 PM #

This service is not really free. It is a free add-on if you already subscribe to thier service. The service is $299/year.

Gee, Ed

I.M. Anonymous @ 9/1/2000 12:38:51 AM #

Did you actually READ the fine print? Or do you work for them? This ain't even CLOSE to free - I couldn't even find an "evaluation" offer!
I won't pay that kinda money for something I can't see first.

RE: Gee, Ed

EGarrido @ 9/1/2000 12:13:55 PM #

Please don't go accuse Ed of anything. He is a fine worker and we're proud to have him here at the infocenter... Ed is right, it was very deceptive.

From the guy who started it...

Rolf Dobelli @ 9/3/2000 1:02:18 PM #

Hi,I am Rolf Dobelli, the guy who started getAbstract. No, the service is not free. As you have pointed out, it's part of a $299 KnowledgePass. We are currently serving close to 500 book abstracts. It's an ideal concept for executives. Companies can get the service at a lower price, depending on how many licenses they choose to purchase. For a large corporation, the price of a KnowledgePass will be considerably lower than the $299. The reason why we have to charge for this service is easy: we are totally free of advertising. And great business writers are not cheap. In addition, some authors of books require us to pay royalties. All this adds up. So, I apologize if the web site is not totally clear on the fee. We will re-design it within the next couple of weeks and we'll make it clearer.

Rolf Dobelli
Founder & Chairman
getAbstract
http://www.getAbstract.com" CLASS=NEWS TARGET=_NEW>http://www.getAbstract.com

feel free to contact me at
rolf.dobelli@getAbstract.com

From the guy who started it...

Rolf Dobelli @ 9/3/2000 1:02:49 PM #

Rolf Dobelli
Founder & Chairman
getAbstract
http://www.getAbstract.com" CLASS=NEWS TARGET=_NEW>http://www.getAbstract.com

feel free to contact me at
rolf.dobelli@getAbstract.com

More Broken Promises?

I.M. Anonymous @ 9/5/2000 6:13:30 PM #

I just tried sending an e-mail to the "The Guy Who Started it..." via his own link and to my surpise, I got a server error message saying that the recipient does not exist. Is Mr. "Guy Who Started This" giving false promises or is this just another reason not to go to this guy's site, other than the fact that his services costs $299!!! What the...

RE: More Broken Promises?

Dobelli @ 9/6/2000 3:34:15 AM #

I know why it didn't work. This newsgroup's text editor didn't recognize my full e-mail address. Instead of my correct address rolf.dobelli@getAbstract.com (including my first name) it took the hyperlink for dobelli@getAbstract.com.

Please try it again with the full e-mail address. You might have to type it in manually.

I am looking forward to hearing from you!

Best,

Rolf Dobelli
rolf.dobelli@getAbstract.com