Hacking NetFlix

HackingNetflix Update: Offline Due to East Coast Storm

Update: Finally have electricity, heat, and WIFI again after storm on Saturday night. Catching up on stories & email. 

Sorry it's been so quiet here, but we got hit by the freak East Coast snow storm, so along with 880,000 people in Connecticut we have been without power, dealing with a kerosene heater (it was 19 degrees last night), fallen trees, down power lines everywhere, and living with spotty cell service. The problem is that the leaves were still on the trees, so the damage was 5 times that of the hurricane 2 months ago. Here's a view from my deck yesterday -- note the oak tree bent over from the weight of the snow.

We will hopefully have power soon, and I'll be catching up when we go back online. I have limited access to email and WIFI because of the spotty service and outages. I'm particularly disappointed because this was one of the few times in almost 8 years that I was late with the new releases (coming up shortly).

HackingNetflix on the TechMonks Podcast

Just before Netflix dropped the Qwikster bomb I sat in on the new TechMonks podcast and we talked about Netflix, Amazon, Apple, and more. Thanks to Aaron, Tim & Damond for the invitation.

Back from Vacation

Sorry it's been so quiet the past week, but I took a much-needed vacation from work and blogging.

Looking for Sponsors for HackingNetflix

I've never wanted to clutter the site up with ads, so I'm looking for one or two companies with Netflix-related products, services, or applications to help sponsor this site. We get more then 250,000 unique visitors per month, 500,000+ pageviews, and we have 20,000+ subscribers to our newsfeed. If you're interested contact us at hackingnetflix [at] gmail.com. 

You'll Now Have to Log In To Comment [Hacking Netflix Site News]

Due to continued complaints, you'll now have to sign in to comment. I will also be enforcing the new comment policy by banning and blocking people, something I hoped I would not need to do.  

I will also close comments on stories that are more than a week old to help cut down on spam. 

Additional HackingNetflix Comment Policy Changes Due to Complaints

Due to a large number of complaints, I'm again addressing the comment policy on HackingNetflix (here's the off-topic comment spam policy). The personal attacks are intensifying and the language is getting out of control, and it has to stop. 

I'm all for a spirited discussion, but it has to remain civil, so I'm going to use Timothy Ferriss's comment policy as of today:

Comment Rules: Remember what Fonzie was like? Cool. That's how we're gonna be -- cool. Critical is fine, but if you're rude, we'll delete your stuff. Please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name and do not put your website in the comment text, as both come off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation!

I'm also tired of people copying and pasting large amounts of copyrighted material into the comments, posting under several different names, and impersonating others.

So be civil or I'll have to start banning people, something I really don't want to do. 

If you have a story idea or suggestion, e-mail me: hackingnetflix at gmail.com.

Off-topic Comment Spam Problem - New Comment Policy

I've always seen HackingNetflix as a community, and I've received a number of complains from the community about people spamming the comments with off-topic discussions.

I need help from the community. I've been running HackingNetflix for 7 years, there are more than 68,000 comments on 5,000+ posts. I'm getting hit by spammers on stories that I wrote years ago, and now off-topic comments are disrupting the community.

I don't know why spammers target the comments here, because we use the <rel="nofollow"> tag automatically so they won't get a boost from search engines, and who is really clicking on "Cheap Sneakers?"

I've rarely deleted non-SPAM comments in the past because once you start, where do you stop? I've tried not to censor anyone with something to say, but recent attempts to constantly post off-topic comments rants have made me change that policy.

The new comment policy is that if you post an-off topic comment they will be treated like SPAM and it will be deleted. If you continue to post off-topic comments, you will be banned. Posting the same comment across different posts will also be deleted (cross-posting). This new policy begins now.

If you have a new topic or something to say, e-mail me and I do my best to post it. But posting off-topic rants and information will cause your comments to be deleted, and if you continue you will be blocked.

If you have a problem with a comment, especially real spam or off-topic comments, please e-mail (hackingnetflix @ gmail.com) and I will deal with it.

HackingBlockbuster: Blockbuster News & Information

I've always felt strange writing so many posts about Blockbuster on a site dedicated to Netflix, so tonight I'm launching HackingBlockbuster. It's still a work in progress, but you'll see more Netflix news & information here, and more detailed coverage of Blockbuster on HackingBlockbuster.

HackingNetflix: Vacation Time

Posting will be very light this week, as I'm going to spend some quality time with my family. I'll be outside most of the week (with lots of sunblock), but I'll still be checking e-mail from time to time.

HackingNetflix Down Earlier Today

HackingNetflix was down earlier today due to a problems with our hosting provider, TypePad. Despite this outtage, I'm still happy with TypePad's record over the past 4.5 years.