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Microsoft PR: Looking Under The Hood
mtr writes "An interesting article uncovering some embarassing and amusing PR practices of our friendly software giant had been recently published by Michael Zalewski. The author recovered change tracking information from all the DOCs published on microsoft.com, and came up with something to cheer you up. It's funny when it happens to others - but even better if it fires back on themselves.
Read the full story here."
Don't you wish we had the same thing for White House internal memoranda?
Mencken had it right. So glad that's old news.
I'll put 5 on some shill site putting up an expose on that piece, with lots of good-old marketing terms thrown in for good measure.
Lawyers would probably be overkill.
Now even Microsoft is in on the tired^H^H^H^H^Hclassic "^H" joke!
Oh come on, Debian isn't that big...
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
"our friendly software giant"
Is that sarcasm?
This makes me harken back to the days of yore...
Nothing cheers me up as much as watching something backfire on Microsoft.
This signature was left intentionally blank.
did anyone else see that .cx address and have a slight moment of hesitation before clicking through?
From the article:
Call me paranoid, but all those "xxx, Chief Information Officer/Vice President at Avensis" quotes make it look as if they were fabricated prior to even figuring out who to talk to at the company, not to mention determining what his/her name would be.
Could it be that the Author of the memo heard a taped recording of the comments, and transcribed them without knowing the guy's name, thus leaving placeholders?
I don't think that even M$FT would stoop so low as to intentionally misquote someone. They'd never get away with it.
wbs.
Huh?
Between Microsofts marketing attempts - Windows ME, the BSOD on stage, the DOCs with changes in them that insult users or other companties - it almost seems like Microsoft marketing is trying not to sell to users.
It would be fantastic to find out that MS is actually some kind of joke gone wrong. Like,
"Hey, lets make a really bad operating system and see what happens."
"Holy cow, they are buying it!"
"Man, thats insane, lets make another one and see if they still fall for it."
"Jesys, can't these people learn? I know, lets hype up something that doesnt exist and then not bother releasing it."
"Woah, demand is so high we can afford to pay for it to be made."
"Why not, but insert some easter eggs that make it crash. That should let them realise it's all a big farce."
Beep beep.
Micrsoft releases final drafts onto the web... but WAIT! we can see their ROUGH DRAFTS TOO!!! I'm sorry, but there wasn't anything embarrassing about any of that. It's not like Bill Gates himself or anyone high up in the company is the one who initially wrote those documents. And besides, they were corrected... so i don't get it... who cares? this is not news. (anyone want to see the rough draft to my english paper!?!? it's HORRIBLE! how embarrassing!)
where are the SCO articles?!! I need my fix man!
sig != null
wow... If microsoft can write a piece of software to remove one of their own programs, they could effortlessly write the world's most effective virus removal tool...
One of the examples in the article was was:
"Home Depot: evaluated both, chose Windows for 8,200 Windows desktops, 42,000 Windows embedded for POS devices,... "
Several devices that I have bought at Home Depot have been a POS, but I wsn't aware Windows was embedded in them. Is windows in every POS that Home Depot sells or just certain items?
I love when people get caught saying stupid things or saying they didnt say something when they did. I have a semi-photographic memory I will call it, I can pretty much remeber any conversation verbatim, nearly perfectly for as long as a year back with less than important conversations and pretty much forever if it was of some special importance. I think its because I have this ability that it absolutley drives me NUTS when people say they didnt say something, to have trackingin word docs..too funny. Did so say that ...no I didnt.....errrr yes you did here it is......uhhh no I didnt.....wasnt me....
I can't keep giving it away. You know, it doesn't grow on trees, and the free ride is over man. I can hook you up, but it's gonna cost $699 a hit...
Forget thrust, drag, lift and weight. Airplanes fly because of money.
I've known quite a few "communications specialists" (I think the term "PR" has been out of vogue for 20+ years now) that have been embarrassed by what they have said; when it comes back to them. I would rephrase the basic statement as:
The most effective PR people know how to shade the truth/lie in such a way that the message, regardless of how misleading, cannot be challenged as being inaccurate.
An experienced communications specialist would come out with the statement:
"The Senator is taking a hiatus from active service to better understand how to reduce his own reliance on foreign products while minimizing any potential financial repercussions."
which is much better than saying:
"The Senator is drying out at the Betty Ford clinic after realizing that he can no longer afford to drink Chivas by the boatload."
myke
Mimetics Inc. Twitter
Does anyone else see the potential humor factor in sending the people memos with deliberately corrected info?
It's a whole new realm of sarcasm.
Actually, based on their domain name, I'd guess their server dumped the core.
Employers will demand that you submit your resume in Word format when they get wind of this!
Candle burns its brightest in the dark
Kerry: The Republic leadership are fascist motherf^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H out of touch with their genitals^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H the American people.
Bush: Kerry is a drunken^H^H^H^H^H^H^H vacillating liberal who likes crack whores^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H will raise taxes.
Nader: I am still committed to causing confusion^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H providing an alternative in the political process.
I just sent a suggestion to Google that they should index deleted and revised text in Word documents. Wouldn't that be fun?
An experienced communications specialist would come out with the statement:
"The Senator is taking a hiatus from active service to better understand how to reduce his own reliance on foreign products while minimizing any potential financial repercussions."
Please, that is SO pre Bush Administration. Their stye of communications would give the following press release:
"There is no Senator, there never has, and there never will be. And if their was, the notion that he is in rehab is insulting and unpatriotic. You must be a member of the Taliban"
If there wasn't so many people falling under the societal spell that "corporations = evil", without actually thinking it through,
Um, isn't '=' an assignment operator?
Like what I said? You might like my music
is the link that goes to the Office admin software that supports actually removing Office or parts therof.
Notice the name of the program: ORK.EXE
Who at MS is now working on ELF.EXE - Eliminate Linux Forever?
Who is John Cabal?