Vote early, vote often, vote automatically

Stephen Withers
Wednesday, 30 April 2008 10:39

Opinion and Analysis

OK, it's probably a demographic thing, but I just don't get these TV shows where you're expected to vote for your favourite or most disliked participant. Apart from anything else, it seems like a waste of money - you want me to sit through the ads and let you take a cut of my phone bill?

But for those who are hooked on American Idol, Gizmo Project (a low cost and in some circumstances free VoIP provider) has come up with a system that lets you cast 25 votes in one go.

According to company officials, more than one million votes have already been cast through the service, but what they don't say is how much users are being charged for this facility. Since the American Idol lines are toll-free (try selling that idea to Australian networks!), it should be $0.00 but you'd want to confirm this before voting.

Gizmo is also promoting the facility to viewers outside the US, as they are unable to vote using the normal procedure. The tight voting window (two hours after the show airs in the time zone corresponding to the number placing the call) makes this a challenge for people watching on 'Channel B', but it might be useful for residents of Canada or other territories that can pick up US TV stations from across the border.

(If you haven't heard of Gizmo Project, it is essentially similar to Skype, except that it uses open standards including SIP.)