Joel, and others, give us hell for Live.com

“But you’re all paying attention to the wrong thing.”

You keep telling us it’s some mysterious thing hidden within Microsoft that no one can describe and you can’t show us but trust us, it’s there…

How the hell do we pay attention to something that doesn’t exist?

Ah, yes, the perpetual: take our word for it, we’ve got good stuff, it’ll come out some day (though it never does) bullsh!t!

If everyone’s paying attention to the wrong thing, then the message must be pretty poor.

If you mean application services then, perhaps. If you mean consulting services they are *crazy*.

Normally I agree with you Scoble but here is one thing that I just don’t like.

You know why people love Apple events? They demo something off, the demo is over, and now the item is immediatly avilable.

So far I congradulate the company for keeping Live hidden from any leaks. That in itself is amazing, but what would have been awsome would have been a working demo, with services avilable immediatly after the presentation was over.

People don’t like the whole dangling carrot in fron of their faces ploy, then slapping a launch date three+ months in advance.

Next time there is a major announcement, it should end with: “Now feel free to go check out the product yourself, it will be avilable for use/purchase by the end of this show.”

That will turn heads, that makes good PR, that gets users to try out software and keep using it.

I didn’t say we had good stuff. I said we’re going in a new direction.

That said, Virtual Earth is an example of an interesting service. Soon we’ll ship a new version of that. It’s awesome. Audience thrilling awesome.

I hear you that the leadership is yelling “turn, turn, turn” but the problem so many are commenting on is that they are turning the ship into crowded waters instead of into open water.

It may have some uniqueness on the edges, but (so far) the main parts of it has too much “me too” in it.

I dont think this is a “turn” or a “rudder shift” at all.

You are just copying your competitors, imitating their products. That is the same thing you have always done. I guess this time the difference is you can’t afford to outright buy out Google…

Has anyone else noticed that MS blatantly ripped off the personalized Google interface for live.com (except that it doesn’t work with firefox)?

As a shareholder who lives in Seattle and, therefore, benefits greatly from a healthy, prosperous MS, I’m concerned. The frequent major re-orgs, all-hands meetings and hyped pronouncements about “new strategic directions” are beginning to look suspiciously like a company that doesn’t know where it’s going. I have an awful lot of friends at MS who are jumping ship to the Google operation in Kirkland…

Microsoft has over 60,000 employees, we expect more from Microsoft because you keep asking premium prices for your products. So don’t say ‘it’s coming, just hold on’ actually provide us the product, this whole situation reeks of the way Microsoft has handled Vista.

It’s coming out soon and it will revolutionize everything! Now it’s coming out much, much later and has features that Apple was able to do years before a much larger Microsoft.

Are MSFT shareholders supposed to be grateful that MSFT is now turning, even though it’s still leaking?

Just what do those 61,000 people DO every day to earn their keep (besides tell each other and us how brilliant and hardworking they are).

Quick back of the envelope calc:

Google = 5,000 employees / 1.6 billion in quarterly revenue = $320,000 per employee.

Microsoft = 61,000 employees / 9.7 billion in quarterly revenue = $159,000 per employee

Are we to infer as hardworking and brilliant MSFT’s people are, Google’s people are twice as much so?

Does your wife know that she decorating a place that you call “my home” not “our home”?

I hope so, for your sake…

I think maybe you’ve seen a few too many “my documents” icons…

I’m confused Robert – there is a huge difference between an applications company and a services company. Although I may have heard ‘turn, turn, turn’, I’m pretty sure they did not said drop anchor, and switch boats!

IMHO I would say your statement is bold to say the least, perhaps even foolish. If it was that simple, why didn’t Bill Gates say it that plainly?

You’ve got a very big megaphone Robert – it can do one of two things – make you a big problem, or make you a valuable asset. Right now you are an asset, be careful not inadvertently switch sides

I’m confused Robert – there is a huge difference between an applications company and a services company. Although I may have heard ‘turn, turn, turn’, I’m pretty sure they did not said drop anchor, and switch boats!

IMHO I would say your statement is bold to say the least, perhaps even foolish. If it was that simple, why didn’t Bill Gates say it that plainly?

You’ve got a very big megaphone Robert – it can do one of two things – make you a big problem, or make you a valuable asset. Right now you are an asset, be careful not inadvertently switch sides

You go, Scoble. I can’t imagine that the snipers here have much idea what it takes to change the strategic direction of a company the size of Microsoft – and one whose legacy businesses remain so stunningly profitable.

Windows/Office Live is absolutely right. I’ll use it, once you’ve built it Let’s hope MS saves the day and stops us all turning into google slaves.

Uh, i think live.com has been done. They are getting 12% of ALL ad revenue and it’s called myspace.

Hosting exchange servers wont compete w/ google. All dogs have their day – today it’s google.

I don’t understand this whole applications/services company thing. What’s wrong with companies creating applications? All companies offering services need applications. So, please Microsoft, don’t stop building great applications.

Rather than it being all about attention, I would say it has lots to do with ATTENTROPY limitation (yes I made that word up – but it works!).

I think it’s relatively easy to get attention by offering something that people want and doing it in a nice and easy, stable way. But the secret is keeping that attention. Nurturing it. Growing it. Being nice to it. Respecting it.

Indeed, we need to trust those who are doing that to us. They need to respect that we are the people driving their vision (and let’s not forget – business). Eventually you become friends and who knows.. lovers?

If Microsoft can pull that off, then they’ll generate a whole lotta love for a whole lotta time of a whole lotta people.

And I for one, wish them the best of luck instigating the love affair!

–

I’m looking forward to trying out the new messenger and VOIP. It’s a shame, I am assuming, that it won’t be able to record calls as MP3 – WMA possibly. We shall see. But I know which would generate the most L.O.V.E

MSFTShareHolder said: “Has anyone else noticed that MS blatantly ripped off the personalized Google interface for live.com (except that it doesn’t work with firefox)?”

You mean… Has anyone noticed that GOOGLE blatantly ripped off the personalized START.COM interface (which does work in Firefox and Live.com will soon too).

A services company? Oh brother. Consult your history books, this has been tried time and time again. You can’t do content, you can’t do services, you do SOFTWARE (and increasingly you can’t even do that). Big difference between an applications company and a services company, you are talking really a whole new company. It is simply not possible with your current makeup. And what TYPE of services? IBM Global Services? Or just applicational hosted services? Return of the ASP? If it was a ‘services’ change, why the heck, didn’t Gates just say so? If Ray has really turned the ship around to “services”, then the post-Microsoft era is about to begin. This isn’t a shift, your vaulted Execs may think that, but it’s just really copying your competitors, this being the one time you can’t (or aren’t) buying them out.

Soon we’ll ship a new version of that. It’s awesome. Audience thrilling awesome.

Hahahah, always ‘awesome’ one version in the future. So silly, so lunkheaded, and not how you market, but yet you walk into it, time and time again.

PS – Wow, Brandon, I think I have found someone actually more blindly stupidly shrillish than Scoble. That takes talent, congrats.

Well Brandon, at least when Google rips something off it works right.

When Microsoft rips something off, they turn it to crap…

In the end, while both companies are crooks, Microsoft is turning into a bunch of incompetent crooks. Way to go man, dig that Web 2.0 that only works with IE on Windows.

Could you look any dumber? I don’t see how.

I know, a new drinking game…every time Scoble waves his NDA penis, you take a big hit from a can of Pabst or Rolling Rock, but you must let half of it drain down your shirt. Whenever Brandon does it, you have to take a shot of Mad Dog 20/20, but you must fling the contents of the shot against your face, and attempt to lap it up before it stains your clothes.

That way, you work in both Microsoft’s incompetence at judging its audience, (crappy beer and MD 20/20), and its inability to do even simple tasks correctly, (the spillage).

I think it could be a hit.

If you wanted people to PAY attention to the RIGHT thing, well clearly state that RIGHT thing and show some EVIDENCE of such. So this was a big internal memo, spelled out in the form of a vague idea no one was quite sure of, all via a pre-alpha crashy demo shown to all the world’s press?

And now your cage handlers have made you aware of the supposed big big picture? And you are blaming us for ‘not getting it’?. Amazing arrogance.

I hear the presentation by Bill Gates was a major cock-up! You’d think he’d get things right. He should learn from the master

Gates’ lame slides: http://writersblocklive.com/?p=47

Those slides do look like crap!

http://writersblocklive.com/?p=38