Tom Purves – Product Management, Fintech & AI

Phil Holden of Microsoft.

So Microsoft is launching all this new “Windows Live” stuff. All this new all new stuff. new! new! beta! beta! new! beta! oh my. The list is pages long. Awakening from a little power nap having dozed, oops, a little (just a year or 3) longer than intended, the great vole of software is up with a start. oh my! the consumer internet has left us down the tracks. quick! somebody do everything!

“Lord Ronald said nothing; he flung himself from the room, flung himself upon his horse and rode madly off in all directions.” – the inimitable Stephen Leacock

And thus we have Windows Live. Windows Live Everything.

Q: Anything really knock-your-socks-off-innovative thus far? can’t say anything jumped out at me.

Q: Is it bad we have more competition for all manner of Web services? of course not, as consumer one can’t complain about more options. Interoperability (open api’s, rss, import, export, standards etc.) would be greatly appreciated though. (Microsoft will you ever listen?)

Q: Is the brand from name to execution a little ambitious (to put it charitably) as to what they’re trying to wrap their arms around all in one bite (to muddle metaphors)?
Hmm, No doubt. Many of the apps do certainly have a true beta feel about them from teething performance issues to certain UI oddities. But then, before Google hijacked the idea, this is what Beta’s are for.

Q: Not worse than MSN? oh god yes, and for now cleaner and less ad strewn – at least until ms channel partners (sympatico in canada) get their paws on this stuff.

link

More pictures here

fact of the day: between hotmail and messenger services, MS has 300 Million users.

The great vole of software reached out to me this week with an invitation as well to no doubt a few more of the usual local suspects and most of whom no-doubt rather more usual than me. Reaching out to bloggers they are, luring us with the promise of free drink or two at the gladstone and promises of a few peeks or two under the kimono [komodo -ed?] of what they’ve been busy with in Redmont.

To be honest I don’t spend much of my day thinking of Microsoft’s web technologies and related. Though were I were thinking much about them I would remember thinking this the other day:

About a week ago, rumors surfaced that apple is planning a competitor to google maps, and they’re calling it… “Maps”

Wow what a clear and simple brand name. I know if I was Joe/Jane consumer there would be roughly zero ambiguity in my mind about what that program does. If the icon says “Maps” on it, I pretty much know where to go if I’m looking for maps in my operating system or online service.

To understand why this just kills me, you have to realize a second thing. Microsoft also has recently launched a competitor to Google maps. And what do they call this brilliant service… wait for it… “Windows Live Local”

Windows Live Local. What the hell does that mean? Sounds like some kind of networking application to connect my operating system’s to, like, other things in the immediate vicinity? – rather than a global Web-based mapping service. yowza.

The irony of course is that Microsoft’s service, horrifically disingenuous name notwithstanding, is actually pretty good. You can do very subtle things like ad annotated pushpins to a map (x marks the spot etc.) and mail those to a friend, something I wish you could do (easily) with Google maps. And it’s pretty looking.

But “windows live” branding (not to mention the word local) kills me. The brand itself seems like a desperate attempt to create in the mind of consumers the idea that Windows Itself has something to do with the Internets. Reminds me of the days would Intel would try and suggest it’s newest cpu would make your internet faster. In Microsoft’s case though, this internet=windows philosophy seems to be deeply ingrained in their current strategy. I believe Microsoft is trying to take the Internet out of the browser. This philosophy of course flies in the face of every trend in the software industry of the last several years where one by one every major application has been sucked in to the browser. The core office applications being the last great holdouts (and now challenged by the likes of Google spreadsheets, calendar and writely etc.)

From what I’m hearing so far from those in the know, Visata and Office 12 is all about the Empire strikes back. Rich and creamy thick clients with all the goodness of rss, search and online collaboration but without that flaky browser shell. Interesting. Will this be the revenge of the thick client or Office’s last stand? next year will tell.

In the meantime, pay no attention to the Firefox in the corner

The Internet is now on Windows, And It’s Live! …and, er… Local

Photo, enjoying a drink on the patio of the lovely Gardiner Museum before CaseCamp2.1.

Academic evangelsim: Daniel Shapiro, Audience Marketing Manager, Microsoft

* Discussed long running Microsoft program to find and reward student evangelists
* Historically, hired leading students paid hourly rate, expensive but somewhat successful
* New program reward students post-facto for acheivements in promoting Microsoft for organizing events, communities on campus etc.
* Importantly reward students non-monitarily. MSDN subscriptions, job contacts/interviews with microsoft or msoft partners
* Students valued these rewards higher than the cash and program/students were able to evangelize msoft in a much more authentic way

Pushing the buttons that make Toronto come alive: Matt Blackett, Editor, Spacing.ca

* Matt Blacket invented the buttons in one part to promote his magazine as another to show up how awful the job the TTC does at promoting itself
* Sold 800 buttons the first day at trade fair
* Big break was when the mayor started wearing them, then boingboing picked up on it
* Buttons brought in tons of cash for the little magazine
* 11% of online button buyers ended up buying subscriptions – a huge conversion ratio compared to, say, direct marketing
* dailly visitors to their website before buttons 68, after launching buttons 473, after buttons plus starting a blog 651- 3,000

Podcasts Gone Bad – Leesa Barnes, President, Caprica Interactive Marketing

* Great idea to do a case on a good marketing idea gone bad and what we can learn from it
* Bad idea to do a case were the presenter blames the failure entirely on “the client” hmmm

Unboomed: Andrew Michael Baron, Co-founder, Rocketboom

* context, in case you missed it the biggest blogosphere story of the week the untimely and shocking departure of Amanda from rocketboom one of the webs leading sites in the very new field of video podcasting (300k+ viewers a week)
* they had just closed their first ad deals for 40k and 80k a week in advertising though the money was still yet to come in.
* “communication problems” since march. Amanda the host wanted to go to LA.
* Andrew the producer and writer of the show was willing to move but ‘she didn’t want me to come with her’
* They had been in discussion for weeks with a mediator. Last thing that happened and who had given Amanda an offer to continue doing the show bi-coastal or, worst-case, to arrange a transition to a new host. Amanda “walked out” “in the midst of negotiations”
* Thus far this is a story of “what happens when you lose control of the message” Andrew you could Towle has been dying to tell his story, but has remained restrained so far.
* Clearly scared ” this is the biggest challenge have faced in my life” but he’s moving on. Rocket boom will go to air on Monday.
* “I know the audience will be back” he says. “the only way to make it true this stage is… um… not sure” final quote.

Enjoyed a lovely dinner afterwards with some fellow campers. Rather unexpectedly, the night ends with John and Malgosia both in bed with another woman. It was CBC filming a pilot for a new talk/improv/reality show this one on the subject of infidelity. and shot on the streets of your Yorkville. in a bed. Fav quote from Malgosia “I can’t even remember sex before John..” awww Watch for the cute couple on a national television near you…