Microsoft's Vista Blogger Quits 133
Preedit writes "Nick White, the in-house Microsoft blogger who wrote about all things Vista, has resigned.
White is leaving Redmond to join the blog-centric marketing and public relations firm BuzzCorps.
White did not provide a reason for his decision. InformationWeek, however, notes that his position could not have been easy. White's posts often elicited hundreds of responses from Vista users complaining about the OS's numerous glitches and quirks.
The story further notes that White is the sort of young, blogosphere-savvy manager that Microsoft needs if it hopes to outrun Google, and his departure raises questions about the company's ability to retain Web 2.0 talent."
Hyperbole (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Hyperbole (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Hyperbole (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Hyperbole (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:Hyperbole (Score:5, Interesting)
FTFA:
Joanne Bradford, who was chief media officer for the company's MSN Media Network, resigned last month to join advertising startup Spot Runner. Bradford had also previously served as Microsoft's VP for sales and marketing and as chief media revenue officer.
In 2008, however, it's hot Web 2.0 startups like Flickr and MySpace that can offer those kinds of perks and incentives.
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Representing the customers view point is a lost cause at M$, which is why they struggle so badly in consumer products and lose money and fail when launching new consumer products.
The lost to I
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Marketing and PR are the core business for MS. Well engineered products can be bought, the PR machine must be internal.
Web 2.0 (Score:2)
Also, Web 2.0? wtf is that about? Didn't that buzzword die like two years ago? Is this publication for real?
Re:Hyperbole (Score:5, Insightful)
Stupid Internet Terms (Score:3, Funny)
I assume you're disqualifying "Blogosphere" because it's derived from "Blog".
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Re:Hyperbole (Score:5, Funny)
I disagree. Microsoft have gotten so incompetent lately that they'd probably miss and shoot off an arm instead. While failing at failing might seem like a double negative, they seem to do it on such an unprecedented level that its more like 5 levels of failing. Maybe thats why Bill Gates ran off when he did.
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Perhaps MS employees should take up flying. You just fall and miss the ground.
Re:Hyperbole (Score:5, Funny)
Pink is the new White.
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Pink is the new White.
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They're also producing excellent products, such as Visual Studio (including C# and ASP.NET), SQL Server 2005 and Windows XP. Whether or not they employ someone who's into the time-wasting scene that is blogging is neither here nor there. Were that to be true then any number of klutz with a Geocities account would have wiped out Microsoft years ago.
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I am sure they have tons of talent still, and there are lots of interesting jobs in and outside of Microsoft.
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No reason given? (Score:5, Insightful)
Man finds new job, quits old one. News at 11.
Re:No reason given? (Score:5, Insightful)
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"Web 2.0 talent" = Oxymoron? (Score:4, Insightful)
C'mon - when was the last time writing anything that popped into your mind considered a "talent". Blogs...yeesh. I still can't figure out who has the time to read those things.
Re:"Web 2.0 talent" = Oxymoron? (Score:5, Funny)
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You need the whole API.
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You posted this on Slashdot? Which is a drumroll please.....
Your post is modded insightful, not funny. I hope I'm not having a whoosh moment here.
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No, it's just fashionable to sneer at blogs here on
It think it's the same group who claims they don't watch TV either. We can sneer right back at them for being elitist snobs, but we don't really care about that, we just wish they'd shut the fuck up. We heard 'em the first time.
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A perfect example is my website. I write about things that pop into my mind, however due to the nature of the website many people share the experiences of what I write about. Just yesterday someone from Slashdot began commenting on my blog and in my forums, stating his reason being that he is dealing with many of the things that I t
No kidding (Score:2)
For example something that has happened to me a number of times: I'm trying to accomplish something with new software, or find information on it or something like that. I do a search, first result is something talking about what I want. Great, I follow the steps. No
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There
What would be of more interest (and relevance)... (Score:2)
White did not provide a reason for his decision. InformationWeek, however, notes that his position could not have been easy. White's posts often elicited hundreds of responses from Vista users complaining about the OS's numerous glitches and quirks.
What would shed more light on this is whether White had access to technical staff who could provide behind the scenes information and support when responding to these users. Further, whether these staff had an idea and an understanding of why it is important to respond to these users, and the Web 2.0 world, where two way interaction and many to many communication is the norm.
If he was left out there in the cold on his own, it's no surprise he resigned.
'Internet friendly' and ms do not mix. (Score:1)
You just know that Steve wants to throw a chair. Btw never read him.
Note on the wall (Score:1)
web 2.0. talent? (Score:1)
New Vista-Bashing Blog (Score:5, Insightful)
In contrast, a blogging spokesperson sounds easy, as you can triple-verify everything through the tech staff, legal, and the upper echelons before publishing.
I'd be quite surprised if he left due to anything related to Vista. Heck, MS paid him to support Vista, and I'm sure he will continue to do so under the principle of "never bash a former employer until you retire".
Instead, I think he left for either an easier life and/or more money.
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I've never had an easy time polishing a turd, I doubt this guy did either.
Web 2.0 "talent" (Score:1)
Top 5 least Glamorous Jobs (Score:4, Funny)
#4 Tank Ammo Tester (Think Bugs Bunny).
#3 Amish Mechanic (What do you call a man with his arm up a horse's Ass?)
#2 Thong Adjuster for Janet Reno. (Close your eyes and visualize it..AIEEEEEE)
#1 Microsoft Pro Vista Blogger.
Seriously, I wonder how long he had that job for. And now, how long will he need a shrink to regain his self esteem ?
Not sure if blogging is talent (Score:1)
Web 3.0 (Score:2, Funny)
No, you guys have it all wrong. White was "let go" so that Microsoft could bring in "fresher" Web 3.0 talent. God only knows what the next "Catch All" web term will be, and Microsoft has to be ready for it.
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Web 2.0 Service pack 1 Re:Web 3.0 (Score:1)
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Blogosphere (Score:1)
Anyways!
Given the amount of crap he probably had to take on a daily basis I doubt I could blame him. I'll happy polish a turd if you pay me enough money, but it comes to a point where no amount of money can cover the mental stress from having to polish a turd and taking flack from the owners of that turd. I would not have been able to keep it up for as long as he did, polishing that turd. I hope he is happier
When I Hear The Word "Blogosphere" (Score:5, Funny)
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A bowl of blogospheres and a coffee please.
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Why didn't the damn nerds just stick with weblog instead of splitting the word??
Maybe It Was This (Score:2)
Tell the truth about Vista to people who already pretty much know it, or
Toe the corporate line and continue to receive paychecks and promotions.
Oh the pressure!
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Job Opportunity! (Score:4, Funny)
Just one more... (Score:2)
Propoganda for the LOSE. (Score:2, Insightful)
All hype or not, MS *does* need an image makeover (Score:5, Insightful)
Today's college and university students are tomorrow's tech. consumers, so it actually IS important to maintain a good image with them.
Yes, paid corporate blogging and much of this other "Web 2.0" stuff is ultimately going to be shown to be more "fluff" than worthwhile pursuit. Still, sites like MySpace and Facebook are part of this "next generation of web apps", and by all counts, they DO succeed in keeping the attention of the younger computer-using audience. (History repeats itself, folks. Despite the nay-sayers who were USUALLY quite correct about all the stupid e-commerce ideas springing up all over during the
Microsoft just doesn't want to miss out again, if they ignore the wrong trend and it balloons into something huge....
Right now, their image is really tarnished on many fronts, including the "red ring of death" issues with XBox 360's AND the choice of backing the wrong HD technology for DVDs, the whole Vista fiasco, and an overall perception that the latest updates to their products don't offer very much for the money. (I just don't see nearly the level of "excitement" over the Office 2007 release that I remember people having when, say, Office 2000 came out. Most people using it just seem to be doing so because it was bundled with a new computer system purchase, or they needed to buy it to be legal on a new PC that didn't come bundled with it. Many of these people are students who got a huge price break through their school.)
Honestly, I think as much as people liked to bash Microsoft in the past, they often had a love/hate thing going on. It was difficult not to admire Bill Gates for his success, and/or for his willingness to donate to charities. People were really interested to see documentaries showing the inside of his mansion and so on. He generated a certain amount of "buzz" whenever he gave a speech to discuss his views on technology and ideas for the future. But now, Gates has pretty much retired and people like Steve Balmer are the new "figureheads". Who thinks of Balmer and thinks of anything positive?? He's often referred to as "monkey boy" and is best known for throwing chairs.
Re:All hype or not, MS *does* need an image makeov (Score:1)
If those numbers are correct, that's really astonishing considering Apple doesn't do any of that Web 2.0 social media stuff. No blogging, no pre-release hyping of products, no pandering to the MySpace generation, nothing. If that sort of transparency and outreach were trul
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Drop into a graphic design firm, photographer, printer, game studio, music studio, or any of thousands of ancillary businesses. You'll find appleheads who have long since moved on from the "be my friend" webosphere to actually just using a computer as a tool in a netw
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The readers found Harry Potter, not the other way around.
"Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" first appeared in a hardcover edition of 500 copies, most of which went to purchases by public libraries. Early Harry Potter edition fetches $40,000 [reuters.com]
Its presentation on the retail bookshelf hobbled by one of the most god-awful cover illustrations known to man.
re: meaningless statistics? (Score:2)
It would seem from THIS story, students in the U.S. are definitely warming up to Mac purchases, contrary to your experience in Europe.
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Repetition becomes tedious.
But the Slashdot Geek seems to live within a bubble that no outside force can penetrate - without, of course, being modded down into oblivion.
"But, frankly, Scarlet, I don't give a damn."
Here are the links again, whether you like them or not:
MS Office
The Year of Office 2007 [microsoft-watch.com]
Microsoft SharePoint taking business by storm [infoworld.com]
"The "magnitude of Office sales relative to the rest of the PC software market" is phenomenal. It
Retaining talent & Microsoft's one unique abil (Score:5, Insightful)
And Microsoft was sort of able to do one thing that no other company could really do. Microsoft was (more or less) able to build some really huge software projects in a few years. Such as WinNT/Win2000 and the Office suite. I'm not saying they were perfect, but they were good enough. And nobody else could execute projects on that scale.
My reading of the (years late, mediocre) release of Vista is that Microsoft has lost that one unique ability. My guess is that the kind of coders that used to put in their 7 years at MS are now headed elsewhere, such as Google. And without that steady supply of top tier talent, MS can't innovate quickly. Regarding the loss of one PR flack, PFFFFFT!
Re:Retaining talent & Microsoft's one unique a (Score:4, Funny)
I only hope I can get a job here in Canada so that I don't have to go through the hassles of applying for a Visa to work in the US or India (where most Microsoft jobs are located).
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Windows NT started development in 1989. There was more than a few years between then and Windows 2000's release.
It's confirmed (Score:3, Insightful)
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Bingo!
He's a PR hack (Score:1)
"Quits" (Score:1)
If you can't beat them join them and subvert them like done with the ISO cert on OOXML.
Doesn't surprise me a bit IMHO.
So that's where Cringely went (Score:2, Funny)
Retention after a huge project (Score:2)
Please......... (Score:2, Interesting)
Web 2.0 (Score:1)
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Nick White (Score:1)
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Contract Michael Arrington!!!! (Score:2)
My own personal brand has risen over the years as well to the point where I believe I can say without hubris that I am a very important person. Forbes recently named me No. 2 on their list of web celebrities, for example, and Business Week says Im one of the 25 most influential people on the web. Ive also appeared in numerous JibJab videos.
So....... (Score:2)
Flagrantly Obvious..... (Score:2)
The biggest red flags for a grossly over-hyped or down-reigh bogus product is when people or companies start derscibing a product with words like:
"Paradigm shift"
"Revolutionary"
"Breakthrough"
"Cutting edge"
"Sweeping the nation"
"As seen on T.V."
"Endorsed by (insert celebrity)"
"Patented"
"Patent-pending"
"As seen in (insert magazine)"
"Space Age"
"("customer" testimony dripping with praise)"
"Technology"
"All new"
"Natural"
"Regrows hair"
"
Throwing in the towel (Score:2)
Pressure (Score:1)
in other news (Score:2)
I call BS (Score:3, Insightful)
I call BS. Microsoft has no business competing with Google in the first place. Microsoft software sucks because the company has become so bloated and the bureaucracy is so big that it's impossible to do anything innovative. Microsoft should focus on what made it such a success in the first place. Operating systems, it's suite of server software and Office on the desktop. Vista is a fucking disaster of epic proportions.
If Microsoft stopped trying to compete with every big tech company out there, eliminated the bureaucracy and spent all of that cash on R&D for the core software that it sells, it might actually be able to produce a half way decent operating system.