MindSpring
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MindSpring was a major Internet service provider which merged with EarthLink on February 4, 2000, with the company retaining the EarthLink name.
Famous for its Core Values & Beliefs and 14 Deadly Sins, MindSpring was founded in February 1994 by Charles Brewer in Atlanta, Georgia after he had a frustrating experience trying to get online with Netcom. It had only non-paying customers for four months, and shared facilities and technical staff with Internet Atlanta, another local ISP. By late 1994, MindSpring had obtained investment funding from ITC Holding Company and moved into offices at Georgia Tech's Advanced Technology Development Center. It established its first point of presence outside Atlanta in May 1995, and went public in March 1996 with the ticker symbol MSPG.
In 2006, the MindSpring brand was relaunched by EarthLink as a free voice-over-ip service.
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[edit] Mergers & Acquisitions
MindSpring grew quickly by acquiring other companies. Along the way, it acquired the ISP business of Nando.net in North Carolina, although Nando continued as an online news website. In September 1996 it acquired PSINet retail subscribers, and in October 1998 it acquired SpryNet. It also acquired many smaller "mom and pop" ISPs along the way.
In February 1999, it acquired Netcom and its subscriber base surpassed 1 million. It announced its first high speed cable service to Montgomery, Alabama in March 1999 and DSL services to eight cities the following November. MindSpring announced an agreement to merge with EarthLink that September. Merger transactions with EarthLink were completed on February 4, 2000, creating the second largest internet service provider with over three million subscribers, while keeping the EarthLink name and its ticker symbol, ELNK.
[edit] Employees
MindSpring enjoyed a cult like following with its employees. It was known for not having a dress policy or sick leave policy and was well known for its acceptance of alcohol in the workplace. At one point, an employee tested the dress policy with no punishment by reporting for work in a towel and shower cap the day an Atlanta News crew had arrived to film the Atlanta call center.
The employees of MindSpring were the original "fanatical" employees, often going far beyond what was required of them. This was due to the a policy stated by Cam Lanier of ITC Holding Company, one of MindSpring's first investors: "You will never get in trouble for doing whatever it takes to solve a customer's problem".
Employees of MindSpring are considered a large family. The ex-employees occasionally throw Christmas or reunion parties in the Atlanta area. Invitation is always by word of mouth or through email contacts.
[edit] Customers & Reviews
MindSpring was very popular with its customers and as such, they gave it rave reviews whenever possible.
Companies reviewing MindSpring, often posing as a normal customer, usually gave it high marks as well. MindSpring won the following between 1997 and 1999.
- 1999 PC Computing Magazine's "Five Star Award"—PC Computing named MindSpring as the best national Internet service provider. "With MindSpring's wealth of options from V.90 dialup to custom e-commerce sites—you can start out simple and add extras later."
- 1998 PC Computing Magazine's "MVP Winner"—PC Computing Magazine named MindSpring as the best national Internet service provider. "It's a no-brainer for Internet access and small-biz Web hosting."
- 1998 PC World Magazine—PC World Magazine named MindSpring best Internet service provider. "It's hard to improve on what readers tell us is the best support in the business."
- 1998 Home Office Computing—Home Office Computing Magazine named MindSpring best buy for Web hosting. "We found MindSpring to be the best choice for both access and simple Web hosting."
- 1998 SmartMoney Interactive—SmartMoney Interactive named MindSpring as the best buy for Internet services. "MindSpring is a national provider that offers swift connections and customer service that beat AOL's by a long shot."
- 1998 Upside—Upside named MindSpring "One of the best online service providers". "…[they] understand[s] the value of service, community and brand in the cold world of the Net."
- 1997 CNET—CNET recognized MindSpring as a "Buy It" recommendation as best value ISP. "…its software selection beats the pants off the competition, and MindSping's technical support gets our nod as the best overall."
[edit] Vision Statement
To change the way the world does business by demonstrating that a company based on integrity and respect for the individual can do an outstanding job of serving its customers, providing meaningful work for its employees, delivering an exceptional return to its owners, and being a force for good in its community.
[edit] Core Values & Beliefs
The MindSpring core values and beliefs were known to the employees as the CV&B's. They were read during all company meetings as well as some team meetings. When possible, the CV&B's were used for guidance.
The original CV&B's were thought up by Charles Brewer before he had the idea of MindSpring. Thought of while in a downtown Atlanta bar, he wrote them on a napkin. He would joke that he didn't know what type of business he wanted to start, but the list of core values and beliefs would rule whatever it was.
Original CV&B's
- We respect the individual, and believe that individuals who are treated with respect and given responsibility respond by giving their best.
- We require complete honesty and integrity in everything we do.
- We make commitments with care, and then live up to them. In all things, we do what we say we are going to do.
- Work is an important part of life, and it should be fun. Being a good business person does not mean being stuffy and boring.
- We are frugal. We guard and conserve the company's resources with at least the same vigilance that we would use to guard and conserve our own personal resources.
- We insist on giving our best effort in everything we undertake. Furthermore, we see a huge difference between "good mistakes" (best effort, bad result) and "bad mistakes" (sloppiness or lack of effort).
- Clarity in understanding our mission, our goals, and what we expect from each other is critical to our success.
- We are believers in the Golden Rule. In all our dealings we will strive to be friendly and courteous, as well as fair and compassionate.
- We feel a sense of urgency on any matters related to our customers. We own problems and we are always responsive. We are customer driven.
When MindSpring and Earthlink merged, a new CV&B was added by Earthlink management: "We love to compete, and we believe that competition brings out the best in us."
[edit] 14 Deadly Sins
The 14 Deadly Sins were created by Mike McQuary.
After the merger, the 14 Deadly Sins were no longer focused on and are, to this day, missing from the Earthlink homepage.
THE 14 DEADLY SINS OF MINDSPRING (or ways that we can be just like everybody else)
- Give lousy service- busy signals, disconnects, downtime, and ring no answers.
- Rely on outside vendors who let us down.
- Make internal procedures easy on us, even if it means negatively affecting or inconveniencing the customer.
- Joke about how dumb the customers are.
- Finger point at how other departments are not doing their job.
- Customers can't get immediate "live" help from sales or support.
- Poor coordination across departments.
- Show up at a demo, sales call, trade show, or meeting unprepared.
- Ignore the competition, they are far inferior to us.
- Miss deadlines that we commit to internally and externally.
- Make recruiting, hiring, and training a lower priority because we are too busy doing other tasks.
- Look for the next job assignment, instead of focusing on the current one.
- Office gossip, rumors, and politics.
- Rely on dissatisfied customers to be your service monitors.
[edit] Relaunch
In April, 2006, EarthLink relaunched its free Vling voice communication service under the name MindSpring. The service allows for free text chatting similar to other instant message programs, as well as telephone calls to any SIP-compatible software. The relaunched MindSpring site is at www.mindspring.net.
