.NET BCL team blogging

WARNING -- OFF TOPIC
but I'm as mad as hell and want to get two minutes of your attention...

I just posted this message to Ellie Powers-Boyle
Ellie's World
http://spaces.msn.com/ellie/

===== start =====

In my Windows Live Mail, I got an invitation sent "on behalf of wlsurvey@microsoft.com" to do a survey:

> We are constantly working to improve the service
> and would love to get your feedback on how to make it
> even better.
> Please take a moment to complete the following
> survey. We will use this feedback to focus our
> efforts on the right issues.

This is, to put it politely, bullshit. The survey is about flat screen TVs, in which I have no interest. Windows Live Mail is appalling -- it looks horrible, and the usability is close to zero. You could certainly do with some focus on the right issues. Sending users misleading messages to con them into taking an advertising survey is not the right way to get it.

If the email was NOT sent on your behalf then you need to deal with whoever is responsible, because this kind of crap is going to get you a very bad name.

===== end =====

If you do the survey, you'll find it starts with a couple of stupid questions about Windows Live Mail, but the bulk of it is about flat screen TVs and the various brands, and it shows banner ads for you to rate.

This is not mentioned at all in the invitation email that is signed "Sincerely, The Mail Beta Team".

Well, guys, if you are "sincerely" behind that sort of cheap trick then you just lost all my sympathy.....

Jack, can you send me a copy of this email to rscoble@microsoft.com ? Thanks.

Sent! (Sorry, from Gmail, as I'd already logged out of WLM.... but can resend from there if you like.)

Update: Egg on face dept

Many thanks, Robert!

The final results are not in yet, but at the moment, all the signs suggest I've been phished....

So Microsoft is off the hook, and I'm on it ;-)

.NET rulez around the globe:
http://www.dolesoft.com/flash/digidemo.swf

Mike
The Netherlands