This month is internationally recognised as Breast Cancer month, and I will be doing my part by participating in the "Big Walk" from Perth to Fremantle on October 24.

The walk is to raise funds for Breast Cancer research and support for women diagnosed with the disease in WA. The event started in 1996 and is 18 kilometres long.

If you live in WA and would like to participate just visit The Cancer Council WA to find out more.

Sadly, many of us know a friend or family member who has had Breast Cancer so it's a cause that we should all get behind.

If you don't live in WA and you still want to get involved there are loads of walks and other activities to raise Breast Cancer Awareness around the world during the month of October, so get online and check out when a Breast Cancer activity is happening in your area!

Until next time...

Joanne Large
iiNet Editor

On September 29 Telstra Wholesale presented iiNet with an award in recognition of iiNet reaching 50,000 DSL subscribers on the Telstra Wholesale network - an important business milestone.

The photo below shows iiNet MD Michael Malone accepting the award from the Telstra Wholesale executive at iiNet's Perth headquarters.

"iiNet is a progressive ISP committed to delivering an excellent Internet experience to its customers and we congratulate them on achieving this significant milestone," said Telstra Wholesale's MD, Ms Deena Shiff.

"iiNet is dedicated to providing innovative Broadband products and excellent customer service, at the best possible price," said iiNet MD Michael Malone.

With the rollout of iiNet's DSLAM infrastructure we now have over 60,000 DSL customers in total throughout Australia, which includes the 50,000 customers who are on the Telstra network.

There's been some changes in the Customer Service Centre of late, including a restructuring of our Sales and Support team. Contact Centre Manager, Neil Harrison, says the changes aim to improve customer satisfaction and promote staff development.

"We believe that a customer should only need to speak to one person, who can take ownership of the problem and solve it," Neil said.

In other customer service news, we received some very positive feedback from a customer about Brad, one of our Customer Consultants:

"Dear Brad, You're the man! I'm impressed with your calm, professional attitude and your ability to deal with irate customers (I was certainly one of them). To Brad's supervisor, give this man a raise and give him more responsibilities. He is certainly capable. Good luck mate!"

The iiDSLAM team are progressing rapidly with the build of our own DSLAM infrastructure. We have now built and migrated 21 exchanges Nationally and are currently constructing a further 24 exchanges with 31 exchanges scheduled over the coming months. We have migrated over 6,000 existing customers and have also installed over 250 new customers onto the new iiNet DSLAM network.

To see how we are progressing please visit our DSLAM Rollout Schedule and choose your State and exchange. In the meantime we will keep you posted with our progress.

In a recent products and services survey two thirds of the survey participants said they visit the iiNet website daily or weekly. A further 15 percent said they visited the website monthly and only 17 percent said they visited rarely or never, so we know that our site is well used by our customers.

However, approximately 50 percent of respondents had never heard of some of our key products. This indicates the need to revamp our website to make it easier to find key information.

As there is a limited space on the homepage, some of the non-essential information must be streamlined and moved to more appropriate places.

A limited number of services will be removed altogether, including the iiNet Zoo. These will be placed in an archive which you will be able to easily access, but will no longer be updated. The consolidation of support information and key services on the homepage will replace the customisable members page, with the goal being simplicity.

So we'll be busy over the coming months with implementing ideas on how the website can be your first point of reference when seeking information, changing details and problem solving.

Name: George Nicholls
Title: Management Accountant
How long have you been with iiNet? 2 years in November

What does your role involve?
The preparation of: - Monthly internal reports for management on the financial performance of the company - External statutory reports for the ATO/ASX and other regulatory bodies

What do you enjoy most about your job?
The people I work with...and iiNet's close proximity to ANZAC House, where you can still get beers poured in 'pony' glasses!!!

Where do you think iiNet will be in five years time?
Challenging other big industry providers such as Telstra, Primus and Optus, providing customers with all manner of telecommunication services...and hopefully still at the Durack Centre so I can go to ANZAC House for a 'pony' after work!

Name: Aaron Polini
Account type: bliink 1500 lite, previously 512 lite
Customer Since: January 2004
State: WA

Why did you take up the 'need for speed' promotion?
I liked the idea of testing out a different account and getting increased speed for no extra cost. I have a home office and share the property with a friend who still uses dial-up, and after seeing all the problems he has with the slower speeds I am a broadband convert! I will definitely be staying on the bliink 1500 lite plan when the free trial is over - I love the speed!

What is the focus of your life at the moment?
My business (which provides residential property, commercial property and automotive finance) has recently moved into the city. The website also keeps me busy. I couldn't live without the Internet, and I certainly couldn't run my business without it!

What is your primary use of the Internet?
Emails and gaming. I use my XBox to play with my friends from Perth and over east. This helps me to stay in touch with my friends and saves me money on phonecalls to them!

Why did you choose iiNet?
iiNet gave me what I need and when I wanted it, unlike my old ISP which had lost all of my emails in a fairly well-known blunder. I can't afford to have my business emails go missing, so I went looking for another provider. My friend Steve, who works at iiNet, recommended them to me, and I have never had a problem since!

I have applied for ADSL, where can I check the status of my application?
Simply log onto the Toolbox and go to 'Account tools' and then click on 'Check ADSL status.'

How do I change my contact details?
Visit the Toolbox and log in, then click on the 'edit contact details' link and enter in your new details.

Do the bliink broadband accounts have a back up dial-up account?
Yes, our bliink accounts come with a dial-up account for emergencies only.

Aussie Shopping Tours offer a variety of shopping tours to suit individual or group bookings. Why not treat yourself and/or a friend to a day out?

Not only could you get your Christmas shopping done in a day, you would also save a lot of money, do it hassle-free and in style. Their friendly staff even carry your purchases!

Book the Aussie Shopping Tours 'Deluxe Tour' and receive morning and afternoon tea plus a scrumptious 2-course restaurant lunch. It's normally only $60, but if you mention this ad when booking you can receive the Deluxe Tour for only $50 (valid for tours booked and taken by 17.12.04).

To win one of four Deluxe Shopping Tours please email competitions@iinet.net.au with the subject line ‘Shopping Tours’ and the answer to this question: “Which restaurant do you have lunch at when you go on a Deluxe Shopping Tour with Aussie Shopping Tours?”

Hint: You find the answer on the Aussie Shopping Tours website at www.aussieshoppingtours.com.au

Free $5 Gift Voucher with no min spend! Thanks to our friends at LatestBuy.com.au iiNet customers are offered a free $5.00 Gift Voucher to be used at the LatestBuy.com.au online retail store up until 31st October, 2004.

And the best part - there's no minimum spend! LatestBuy.com.au is a great place to shop for all the latest products from around the world including gadgets, novelty items, digital camcorders, toys, casino products and bar accessories.

So whether you're looking for a cool gift for a friend or family member or just want to splash out on something for yourself - you'll find it at LatestBuy. Simply use this unique voucher code (S-IINET5347987635) during checkout and your $5 gift voucher will be applied to your total order.

So what's your LatestBuy?

*Expires 31/10/04 and not valid in conjunction with any other promotional offer.

For customers who are using our new wireless service, please note the wireless capability is not enabled when the 604T modem is sent out. This is due to security issues.

You will need to set up security measures to protect your network upon receiving the modem.

MOVIE OF THE MONTH
Sharks Tale, now showing at cinemas across the country!

Oscar is a fast-talking little fish who dreams big. But his big dreams land him in hot water when a great white lie turns him into an unlikely hero.

At first, his fellow fishy mates swallow Oscar's story hook, line and sinker and he is showered with fame and fortune. It's all going along swimmingly, until it starts to become clear that Oscar's tale about being the defender of the Reef is all wet.

Oscar is finding out that being a hero comes at a Market Price when his lie threatens to make him the Catch of the Day. Now he has to tread water until he can get the scales to tip back in his favour again.

ALBUM OF THE MONTH
Missy Higgins - Sound of White

Missy Higgins is a singer/songwriter from Melbourne. Her music is unforgettable. It's the reason her single "Scar" and this, her debut album, have been permenant fixtures at the top of the Australian charts.

Missy Higgins was thrust into the limelight in mid-2001 while still at high school. She won the Triple J 'Unearthed' demo competition and her song 'All For Believing' became one of the Australian radio station's most requested tracks.

RECIPE
Mexican tortilla with a healthy twist [pronounced tor-tea-ya]

Ingredients:

• 1 whole wheat flour tortilla
• 4 slices deli shaved turkey breast
• 1 slice mozzarella cheese
• 4 thin slices cucumber
• 4 slices avocado
• alfalfa sprouts

Method:

1. Layer tortilla with turkey breast, cheese, cucumber and avocado slices, and a handful of sprouts.
2. Roll it up and slice in half.
3. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
4. Perfect for school lunches.

Gaming Tips
Cheats for Lionhead Studios' Fable, on Xbox...

I need a hero
In the middle of a quest, do a 'hero save' and reload the save thereafter. Your character will start the mission from the top, but your experience points will stick around from the previous run!

Bring out yer dead
To max out your character's experience (if you have the time and patience), go to the Cliffside Path after rescuing your mother. Here you can fight off an infinite amount of zombies! Skilled heroes can build on their combat multiplier to boost their experience faster.

Show me the dowry
Save your bad self from early temptation - wooing and marrying Lady Grey is as satisfying as it is lucrative. Upon marrying, she will give you a dowry of 15,000 gold, plus access to a powerful weapon hidden behind her bed. So start flirting, gold-diggers, for in this world there's nothing wrong with marrying for money!