Did you get busy signals while voting for American Idol final round?

DianaMo · 05-28-2009, 01:34 PM

Did you get busy signals while voting for American Idol final round?

photoshopgrl · 05-29-2009, 05:29 AM

You forgot the option for

I didn't get busy signals because I texted my votes in

Cearbhaill · 05-29-2009, 05:35 AM

My Dial Idol dialed 960 times and registered 579 busy signals.
My husbands line dialed 942 times and was busy 553 times.
My mothers computer dialed 956 times and was busy 559 of them.

JLucPicard · 05-29-2009, 06:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cearbhaill

These issues are just symptoms of a voting system that seems to grow more and more unjust every year. Simple land line "one at a time" voting with 95% busy signals feels inconsequential next to power texters able to fire off tens of thousand of votes with no busy signals, so fewer and fewer people are able to vote more and more.
If it wasn't for that I think even the most rabid fans would let it go.

Sorry - after reading the above in the results thread with regard to a mini-controversy about 'power-texting' or something like that, I just had to laugh when I read your above post in this thread!

Cearbhaill · 05-29-2009, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JLucPicard

Sorry - after reading the above in the results thread with regard to a mini-controversy about 'power-texting' or something like that, I just had to laugh when I read your above post in this thread!

Hey, if I can still feel inconsequential after voting like that, I stand by my point

I still got in far fewer votes than a power texter could have in way less than one hour.

dthmj · 05-29-2009, 08:38 AM

My daughters and I each tried on our phones about 20-30 times to vote for Kris and got a busy signal every single time.

JLucPicard · 05-29-2009, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cearbhaill

Hey, if I can still feel inconsequential after voting like that, I stand by my point

I still got in far fewer votes than a power texter could have in way less than one hour.

Agreed! And it pretty much puts the nail in the coffin for me that I may as well not waste my time anymore dialing my ten votes - granted, using the "Redial" button.

Not that I ever felt my votes made a difference anyway.

Steveknj · 05-29-2009, 08:43 AM

It's all rigged

NJChris · 05-29-2009, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JLucPicard

Agreed! And it pretty much puts the nail in the coffin for me that I may as well not waste my time anymore dialing my ten votes - granted, using the "Redial" button.

Not that I ever felt my votes made a difference anyway.

Isn't it just for fun anyway? The show is entertainment. Sure I might want someone to win over someone else, but I've got just a few other more important things to think about than American Idol Conspiaracies.

MickeS · 05-29-2009, 08:59 AM

I have not voted at all this season because last season I barely got a vote through because of busy signals, and once I found out how meaningless it was to just call in a vote I lost interest in it anyway. Basically, only AT&T cell phone subscribers matter.

MickeS · 05-29-2009, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NJChris

Isn't it just for fun anyway? The show is entertainment. Sure I might want someone to win over someone else, but I've got just a few other more important things to think about than American Idol Conspiaracies.

For us as viewers it's entertainment, but for the contestants it's quite serious business.

Alfer · 05-29-2009, 09:01 AM

No vote from me.

NJChris · 05-29-2009, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MickeS

For us as viewers it's entertainment, but for the contestants it's quite serious business.

Agreed, but their job will be entertainment.

Alfer · 05-29-2009, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NJChris

Agreed, but their job will be entertainment.

To some folks it may be entertaining...but not to all.

Sirius Black · 05-29-2009, 10:56 AM

I didn't get busy signals because I texted my votes in. No trouble there.

BrandonRe · 05-29-2009, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MickeS

For us as viewers it's entertainment, but for the contestants it's quite serious business.

I imagine for the final two it's not nearly as serious as it is for some fans (remember the girls who were devastated last year after Cook beat Archuleta?). Both will make plenty of money from being on the show.

DevdogAZ · 05-29-2009, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MickeS

I have not voted at all this season because last season I barely got a vote through because of busy signals, and once I found out how meaningless it was to just call in a vote I lost interest in it anyway. Basically, only AT&T cell phone subscribers matter.

I think the effect of text votes is being greatly exaggerated. When people can use DialIdol to get in several hundred votes, there's no reason to believe that phone voting has any less of an effect than text voting.

But what really doesn't matter is the person who calls/texts in his/her one vote for their favorite contestant.

MickeS · 05-29-2009, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DevdogAZ

I think the effect of text votes is being greatly exaggerated. When people can use DialIdol to get in several hundred votes, there's no reason to believe that phone voting has any less of an effect than text voting.

Cearbhaill above used her computer to call 960 times, and only 381 votes were registered. There are just a few thousand DialIdol users, which might be enough for their statistics to be fairly accurate, but they barely even make a blip on the vote radar for AI.

And then consider that pretty much everyone else who calls in to vote would do so manually - I don't think enough people are going to sit and dial manually, enduring 60% or so busy signals, for it to make any sort of impact compared to how many votes a person who texts can send in. If Cerbhaill had instead sent text messages, every one of her 960 votes would have been counted.

Consider that the number of total final votes in Season 2 was apparently around 25 million, and in the current season, it was around 100 million. I sincerely doubt that all of a sudden there are simultaneously fewer viewers of the show, and 4 times more callers.

I'd wager that almost all the added votes are because of text messaging, and that the people who call in are rendered insignificant for the determination of the end result.

DianaMo · 05-29-2009, 12:35 PM

It seems to me that if they wanted a really handy email list for each singer after the competition, they should have votes emailed in.

Then they can keep the voters updated on album releases, etc. in the future from the artist that they voted for.

Just an idea...

ebockelman · 05-29-2009, 01:25 PM

It seems like the easy solution is to just eliminate the phone voting and go text only.

Cearbhaill · 05-29-2009, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ebockelman

It seems like the easy solution is to just eliminate the phone voting and go text only.

Then we would only have an AT&T Idol.

sushikitten · 05-31-2009, 05:15 PM

I tried to vote in previous weeks and never got through, so I didn't even try for the finale. Well, I take that back - I tried to text and it didn't work.

Apparently I need someone to walk me through text voting like I am three years old...

MickeS · 05-31-2009, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sushikitten

I tried to vote in previous weeks and never got through, so I didn't even try for the finale. Well, I take that back - I tried to text and it didn't work.

Apparently I need someone to walk me through text voting like I am three years old...

Do you have AT&T as your cell phone provider? If not, texting in your vote will not work.

sushikitten · 05-31-2009, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MickeS

Do you have AT&T as your cell phone provider? If not, texting in your vote will not work.

Ahhhhhh.

Doh.

Well that's asinine.

DianaMo · 05-31-2009, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MickeS

Do you have AT&T as your cell phone provider? If not, texting in your vote will not work.

What does AT&T charge for sending a text message?

Verizon charges I think a quarter, so I don't send them unless I really, really need to.

Cearbhaill · 05-31-2009, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DianaMo

What does AT&T charge for sending a text message?

Unlimited is $19.99/mo.

ebockelman · 05-31-2009, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cearbhaill

Then we would only have an AT&T Idol.

They are a national provider, so what's the issue? If you want to vote, go buy a GoPhone. It would at least cut out the autodialer shenanigans.

Cearbhaill · 06-01-2009, 05:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ebockelman

They are a national provider, so what's the issue? If you want to vote, go buy a GoPhone. It would at least cut out the autodialer shenanigans.

That's just like saying only people who drive Fords can vote.
Or drink Coke.

They may be a national provider but that doesn't mean that every area in the country has decent coverage.
Maybe I don't want AT&T.

Voters should not be required to purchase goods or services of an official show sponsor in order to be able to cast votes, not if they want to be able to claim the results as being representative of "America".
I see that as a conflict of interest.

Jesda · 06-01-2009, 05:47 AM

I got zero votes in.

ebockelman · 06-01-2009, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cearbhaill

That's just like saying only people who drive Fords can vote.
Or drink Coke.

They may be a national provider but that doesn't mean that every area in the country has decent coverage.
Maybe I don't want AT&T.

Voters should not be required to purchase goods or services of an official show sponsor in order to be able to cast votes, not if they want to be able to claim the results as being representative of "America".
I see that as a conflict of interest.

This is a TV show. I have no problem with interactions from the viewer happening over a sponsor's service.