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43

Jolla, you have a communication problem!

asked 2015-11-23 10:24:36 +0300

pema gravatar image

updated 2015-11-24 10:36:21 +0300

Dear Jolla,

some dark clouds at the moment. We, as your users and payers fears about the new situation. What's wrong with you? We must read the bad news via a finnish newspaper article, not by you. We must force you by some bad tasted postings here to make a press release which give us no clarity.

The biggest questions you didn't answer us!

  • How about the SailfishOS, are there updates in future for the Jolla Phone?
  • Why you have discreet us that you have frozen the shipment of the tablet? And why you have discreet us the change of the display manufacturer for the tablet. This was a crowd-founding campaign, you have to inform us about such problems.
  • How about the deal with Intex? Is he dead? Will Intex make the new Jolla Phone?
  • Did it help to make a bigger crowd-founding campaign to rescue SailfishOS?

Okay, please correct me if I have forget a question. Let us speak about confidence. Jolla has lied to us in many times. Yes, don't speak about problems means a lie. Can we trust in Jolla? Can a new investor trust in Jolla? The answer will decide about the future of SailfishOS.

Jolla has a big communication problem. Long before the press release, Jolla was "a victim of he say she say". And thats like a death sentence in the business today.

Now I hope for more clarity at the official blog posting by the CO of Jolla. It's your last chance to get back a tail of confidence.

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Comments

5

Your questions are valid. But, for the moment I would guess that not even the employees know much about what will happen. They do have a responsibiltiy to inform their employees first of all about their next move.

Remember Jolla is small, and if they're in a company reconstruction a lot thing are going on at the same time, they will not have the time to inform the public and things are probably very delicate and sensitive.

I think this time, we should be patient and wait things out.

Larswad ( 2015-11-23 17:23:11 +0300 )edit

Reminds me a bit on Big Lebowski, but he's right.

marsch ( 2015-11-24 15:35:24 +0300 )edit
3

I'm being a smart ass, but you made an interesting mistake: "discreet" in German means "verschwiegen" but it is an adjective, which you used as a participle. Instead, I think it should say: "Why have you concealed..." or "why have you kept quiet about the change of the display manufacturer..." This may help others to better understand your question.

niquest ( 2015-11-24 16:08:00 +0300 )edit

6 Answers

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51

answered 2015-11-24 14:44:36 +0300

MSameer gravatar image

As a Jolla employee -who is still an employee- despite the layoff notice, I can tell you that there is still hope in the company surviving. I unfortunately cannot give more details but I know of efforts being done to pull the company from its existing state.

Trust me that even though I kind of know what is going on, there is nothing yet concrete to communicate.

The tablet project is in the minds of all of us. Our management is trying to figure out ways to solve the situation and compensate you. I heard the discussion with my own ears a few hours ago. We are just trying to figure it out.

How all this will affect the Jolla phone or the updates? I have no idea. All I know is we are trying to push out the next update but it's just hard given the amount of sailors we have now.

Sailors tried to do their best. You don't know when was the last time we got payed yet we were still trying to push the software forward...

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Comments

2

Thanks for all the effort. Regarding the next update the early access people can help with the QA at this rough time i believe. Pitch this idea to the one responsible for the updates. Of course -if you choose to get help from the community- should include a huge warning that things might be less stable than usual regarding the update.

Sail on.

ApB ( 2015-11-24 14:54:15 +0300 )edit
4

Thank you for your words. I am sure we will ask for help but it is not my decision :/

MSameer ( 2015-11-24 14:59:05 +0300 )edit
5

Thank you and good luck! ... I think it is this kind of answers that the community needed in the first place, and not some typical management post we are all tired of.

andreibechet ( 2015-11-24 15:33:49 +0300 )edit
1

IF ONLY it was you in charge of the PR!..

ScumCoder ( 2015-11-24 16:27:34 +0300 )edit
2

hehe, thank you @ScumCoder I am a SW guy and cannot tolerate PR. I just speak to you from my heart. I can't mention all the facts though as I am under NDA.

Thanks for your words too @andreibechet :)

MSameer ( 2015-11-24 16:30:51 +0300 )edit
35

answered 2015-11-23 11:34:43 +0300

zackbuffo gravatar image

updated 2015-11-23 11:35:53 +0300

With all respect to the loyal Jolla community (considering myself as part of it) and appreciating open communication like everybody else, but don't you think the Jolla team has some more important things to do, than writing articles for the Jolla blog to communicate every move they make. I am deeply convinced that all of them are working very hard to not let the Jolla ship sink.

We should just let these guys do their work. If an extra crowd funding is an option for Jolla they will tell us immediately. But obviously times are hard for Jolla at the moment, so just let us not get on their nerves with post #3890, entitled "What's up with Jolla", "Do these guys know what they're doing" or "Where is my tablet?".

Just keep on being patient (even though most of the tablet backers have been patient for quite a while). I think, that's all the community can do for Jolla at the moment.

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Comments

9

don't you think the Jolla team has some more important things to do,

One of the key areas that many people forget about or ignore in Disaster Recovery scenarios is a communications plan. Damage to company reputation, misunderstandings etc can be as costly to a business as a fire in the data center.

The same is true here. A communications plan is vital to keep both users and investors interested in the company. So no, I don't think they have more important things to do; they have equally important things to do, but they sure as heck should not be ignoring the comms. Just look at the increasing number of people making the assumption that Jolla is now dead in the water (there's my required boating analogy :-) ), and posting negatively to that effect all over the place. That will only get worse the longer Jolla take to say something more informative

strongm ( 2015-11-23 14:52:04 +0300 )edit
3

I think regarding investors and keeping them interested in the company you are totally right. But I guess, without knowing any insights, that's what they do at the moment.

But my criticism goes to your second point. Of course one can think of, it would be nice to have some information about how our Jolla ship goes along. But what I do not understand, is the fact why every single Jolla user feels in charge to address critics (or should we call it rants?) about the state of the Jolla company or to point to the fact what a bad job Jolla did. Everybody thinks he has a "right" to do so, just because he/she owns of a Jolla phone. I'd be interested too in every piece of information that I would get from Jolla, because I love my Jolla and want development continuing. And I do not say, don't criticize, but everything has its time. And this is not the time to criticize communication over and over again. Anyway I don't like the approach to write a "where is Jolla's communication" comment, just because you can. I'd expect a little less exaggeration and a little more coolness. More posts won't change the situation.

And how does one come to the conclusion that Jolla is dead? There seems to be trouble, true, but I'm tired of all this negativeness. As a user, be confident, patient and don't get mad. Be there, if Jolla needs help from the community (crowd funding). But nobody can change a thing, by writing post #3891. And the Jolla guys will tell us what's up sooner or later.

There's a nice quote from the Peanuts: "If there's a problem, I don't need a solution but sympathy."

zackbuffo ( 2015-11-23 15:56:31 +0300 )edit

I think you've completely missed my point. This thread is about communications concerning the current situation, not about general Jolla communications to their customers.

strongm ( 2015-11-23 16:12:13 +0300 )edit
3

Isn't communication about the current situation a subset of communication to their customers?

And of course communication about the current situation could be improved. But I think we as the customers - which mostly have a working phone, that's about the customers situation - do not play a too important role to rescue Jolla.

Selling phones to new customers, right, being still interesting to investors, right, but current users - I doubt it. But that doesn't mean, Jolla shouldn't care about us current users. But I don't expect them to care too much from a "financial problems perspective".

zackbuffo ( 2015-11-23 16:32:02 +0300 )edit
1

Isn't communication about the current situation a subset of communication to their customers?

Depends on whether or not you take the view that the current financial situation is just a subset of day-to-day operating expenses.

strongm ( 2015-11-23 17:54:44 +0300 )edit
15

answered 2015-11-23 11:31:33 +0300

ehakkarainen gravatar image

You are correct - this is typical Finnish BS - "when You are in trouble hide it as long as You can" - Jolla You have friends - why not ask them for help? Personally I'd like to own a part of the company for the sake of saving SFOS- so why not a directed issue of shares?

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Comments

3

Directed issue of shares to Jolla owners or tablet backers/purchasers is the way to go if banks do not want to lend money!

alloj ( 2015-11-23 16:01:09 +0300 )edit

I would also be willing to buy some shares..!

nelbrog ( 2015-11-23 18:11:48 +0300 )edit
10

answered 2015-11-23 10:48:29 +0300

zash1958 gravatar image

updated 2015-11-23 11:05:01 +0300

No,

this is NO communication problem

This is a financial problem

They have no money, cannot deliver the pre-ordered an paid tablets and have to set free half of the staff

This is clearly commited in their press release.

Where do You see here a communication problem?

The decisions about an eventually future is not made by Jolla. It would be made by bank(s) and investors and also the people who had to get money from them. This is the reason why they stand now under the finnish paragraphs. I think this rights are not SO different from the german ones. There will be a "Konkursverwalter" or anything like this who will make further decisions and plans together with the people and organisations listed above

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2

Did you see any official press release or smth? Did you see a clear communication?

Sailor ( 2015-11-23 11:09:07 +0300 )edit
5

all points in this questions are valid.

i understand that jolla cant always inform us in advance, that could be considered as a leak. but the moment they do a press release they have to inform us (indigogo backers) everythink else is IMHO against the whole idea of crowd funding i am not angry that i may never see my tablet. i was aware of that risk. i am angry, cause through the whole indigogo campain there was no clear communication on delays, problems etc.

pawel ( 2015-11-23 11:13:13 +0300 )edit

They cannot make further press releases. Because the future plans were be made by other poeple like banks and and investors. Or by nobody if all is running worse. What should now write the CTO of Jolla? I think he ist not the key figure now.

I think most of the people here does not understand the situation!

If they have no money, cannot pay the bills and there will be now "fresh money" ....

What You think will happen?

zash1958 ( 2015-11-23 11:14:00 +0300 )edit
2

Calm down, pema. They have nothing to talk about. Everything they could say might downgrade their position in negotioations with who-ever-may-donate-money. Furthermore, they fight to stay alive and have neither time nor staff left to talk to you and me. The future's not ours to see, que sera, sera.

Moo-Crumpus ( 2015-11-23 11:45:02 +0300 )edit
1

Hey zash,

the most of the peoples are now confronted with a slowly percolating truth. The most are confused and see "her" Jolla ship slowly sinking to the ground. Some are really frustrated by Jolla's lacking communication (like me), hiding the real story.

If you change your point of view for a moment and start to think as a investor. Are you wiling to invest your money in a company who hide all problems, where you don't know what happens? The answer is easy, I think. And that's the point! If Jolla survive the insolvency who should be willing to invest money in the new born company after these communication disaster? No one is trusting a liar today.

See it as a (very late) wake up call. You can not act like a Finnish business "If you are in trouble - hide as long you can". You have to communicate clearly and transparent, that is called "to create trust" at business language.

If I would act at my own business with these "hide problems" strategy, the investors would make a drawback faster as I can say goodbye to them and I would be marred after a short time.

pema ( 2015-11-23 13:49:48 +0300 )edit
3

answered 2015-11-24 15:12:45 +0300

NuklearFart gravatar image

https://blog.jolla.com/open-letter-jolla-community/ official blog post

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3

All in the post like all the times before, NO concrete answers, dates or facts

The money is burnt and the ship is sunk :-(

zash1958 ( 2015-11-24 15:41:14 +0300 )edit
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answered 2015-11-23 15:37:30 +0300

zash1958 gravatar image

Yes, total agree

But NOW the problem is that for the moment at least - it is GAME OVER

If I read that a new financial round is "delayed" I remember this statements from a lot of passed events for other companies.

I do not see how they (Jolla) should survive. No hardware to sell, no contracts with mobile operators for selling Sailfish licenses. Do not beat me, but I see NO future possibility for earning money.

I fear we have to face the issue that all money is lost and so all money paid for the tablet in advance. I can without a problem live with or without the tablet and also with or without my lost money.

But I have to face the reality that the horse is death.

The Jolla tablet was planned as a present for my wife ;-)

But now I would buy an Xperias Tablet for her instead for christmas...... If anyone wants to have my prepaid and never delivered tablet - and give me the money I gave Jolla - You are welcome ;-)

As long as our Jolla phones work it is no problem. But I think if there occurs a problem with the hardware I can throw it in the waste basket.

It is a very bad reality. But the earlier we realize this the better it is.

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Asked: 2015-11-23 10:24:36 +0300

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Last updated: Nov 24 '15