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Once again, the bloggers have failed

Apr. 17, 2008 Paul Thurrott | Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows

An unbelievably lame "internal Microsoft video" made the rounds yesterday, showing what purported to be a Microsoft sales team celebration of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 ("Rocking Our Sales"). My inbox overflowed with email from chortling Mac users ("this is why people love Apple more than Microsoft") and other confused and bewildered people. I never did link to it here.

However, (almost) every other tech blog on earth linked to it and proclaimed how lame it was. Well, it was a joke. And bloggers, the joke was on you.

Charles Cooper at CNET has the news:

"This video was a spoof (believe it or not)," said a Microsoft representative familiar with the reason behind the production. Apparently, it was a way for Microsoft to have some fun at its own expense. "They thought folks internally would get a kick out of not taking themselves so seriously all the time, but some people thought that's exactly what they were being--serious. Anyway, this little piece of art came to life and has caused quite a few laughs in Microsoft's hallways."

So now everyone's laughing, bloggers. But they're laughing at you. And you. And, yes, you. 10 seconds of research. Sometimes that's all it takes.

Discuss this Article 25

kempcv
on Apr 17, 2008
I am not crazy about Vista but it is better than XP as long as you have the correct hardware. I work with Vista, Linux, XP, and OS10 I end up going back to my Vista machines when I need to get things done. I too battled with the Vista betas and screamed at MS for the way it performed. Folks it is not what OS you use it is what you do with it that counts. Everyones needs are different and it is my feeling that if you can do your work with it and you are happy with it use it. And stop pointing fingers and put others down for the way they work and what they like. I could care less what OS you use and Love face it what it is today is not what it will be tomorrow. This market is changing daily. Chuck
Mum
on Apr 17, 2008
Burning at least 15000$ to make an internal joke video pretty much places the joke on anyone who ever paid for a copy of Windows. Hope you enjoyed the video, people - you paid it.
Dipsh t Admin
on Apr 17, 2008
Paul, you just said what I have been thinking about the video. It's somewhat amusing and corny to the nth degree. Certainly no one would take it seriously, but alas, so many people did.
pmcgrath
on Apr 17, 2008
Ok. I’m a little confused about the purpose of this video. Yes, I thought it was funny. I understand that it is suppose to be a spoof and stress reliever. But, this wasn’t just a few employees deciding to make a spoof video. This thing is a major production, and leads me to believe that someone in management had to cut loose some serious funds to make it happen. It also seems like a lot of work for moral booster. They had to know at some point it would make it outside and, being smart people (?), they had to anticipate the reaction it would get. For a company that is struggling with its public image as well as that of Vista, why would you do this? The whole thing just doesn’t seem like a good idea to me.
ibarskiy
on Apr 17, 2008
Mum, your comment is idiotic. Believe me, there's more wasteful spending in the entertainment / promotion budget than that at every company of any size, including MS, for that matter...Besides, care to tell me where your estimate comes from? As far as I am concerned, it could have been done very cheaply by the promo department.
rseiler
on Apr 17, 2008
I don't know why MS wouldn't think this wouldn't backfire, because it plays right into their square, clueless image when it comes to trying to be like the cool kids (Apple, Google). Coming from MS, anyone would have to ask themselves if this was really a spoof or not. And Paul, I know blogger types love doing the "here, here, here" thing (it was "you, you, you" in this case), but it's lazy. Be specific and not generic. People would be more apt to actually follow links that way.
lotsamystuff
on Apr 17, 2008
Backpedal, backpedal, backpedal. Someone sunk some big bucks into that project; it was not done "very cheaply by the promo department" (whatever that is). I guess a few people at MS thought it would be cute, but it's lame on every possible level. Typical MS, though...even their self-deprecating humour is overwrought, expensive, and completely misses the mark.
clindhartsen
on Apr 17, 2008
In all honesty, ibarskiy, Microsoft makes a boatload of money off of it's bread and butter products (Windows + Office) and has free roll to spend that money as they wish. If they throw a touch of money towards some internal humor, so be it, I mean, they are still spending a lot of money towards research and development, not to mention into other fields (X-box, Zune [bad example, I know])
pthurrott
on Apr 17, 2008
I guess my point is that blogging, by nature, is a generally lazy activity. The problem is, when this sort of activity replaces "news," as it is, then everyone gets dumber as a result. It's the circle of life. Sort of. :)
brandon.pope
on Apr 17, 2008
I agree, but it is clear that this is the way news is headed. I don't have a solution, but I think we are going to see more and more of this.
daveinla
on Apr 17, 2008
Typical geeky MS humour... Paul I guess some pieces of news don't deserve the time spent doing the research sometime I think. If you write a line regarding the release date of XP SP3, then you're gonna spend sometime researching if the news is real or not before posting. I can't imagine why someone would spend 10 min researching about a lame video to see if it was 1 or nth degree humour...
heran
on Apr 17, 2008
People are stupid. Does Microsoft invite you to watch the video? Lame or not, it's non of your business. And if you don't want to spend time researching a "lame video", fine, as long as you keep silence. Spreading the "news" without verifying the reliability is just horrible.
Ocean
on Apr 17, 2008
Yeah, shame on your buddy too. http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/microsoft/archives/136666.asp?source=rss He is your buddy, right? Spoof or not, as Daring Fireball says, it shows off MS' institutional bad taste.
BrightrevCarl
on Apr 17, 2008
First, this was obviously a spoof. I don't know how they missed it. I guess being first is better than being right. Second, I'll criticize Microsoft when they deserve it, but they've essentially become the geek with coke bottle glasses who gets kicked in the rear by everyone behind him while he's being pummeled by the guy in front of him. Yes, Microsoft has become the equivalent of a 10 year old Bill Gates on an Internet playground full of jocks and kool kids.
Snakedoctor1
on Apr 17, 2008
I dont think anyone was fooled here. I saw it as exactly what it was, MS trying to make fun of themselves. The thing is.....its just just so stupid its not funny...at all. MS gets bad press daily, why pour gas on the flames, with this pathetic attempt?
ibarskiy
on Apr 17, 2008
"In all honesty, ibarskiy, Microsoft makes a boatload of money off of it's bread and butter products (Windows + Office) and has free roll to spend that money as they wish. If they throw a touch of money towards some internal humor, so be it, I mean, they are still spending a lot of money towards research and development, not to mention into other fields (X-box, Zune [bad example, I know])" In all honesty, I agree with you completely. But I didn't want to feed the crazyness "oh my god they are wasting your money". At least there is no 100% mark-up on RAM for apple hardwrae upgrades... Anyway - I don't like the video any, personally - too geeky cheesy, but taking it as serious news is as stupid as stating that because something installs it is sanctioned.
Waethorn
on Apr 17, 2008
"it was not done "very cheaply by the promo department" (whatever that is)" maybe not, compared to your paper-thin church basement photocopying budget. honestly, you think the production values are good enough to think it's expensive for a company worth billions? ok that's just sad.
lotsamystuff
on Apr 17, 2008
"maybe not, compared to your paper-thin church basement photocopying budget." Wae, I wasn't discussing your marketing team. "expensive" is expensive, regardless of the resources of the company. This thing is, undeniably, an expensive joke (you know...like the Zune, xBox, Spot Watches, and virtually every division outside of Windows and Office).
Mum
on Apr 17, 2008
"Mum, your comment is idiotic. Believe me, there's more wasteful spending in the entertainment / promotion budget than that at every company of any size, including MS, for that matter..." You're joking, you have to be. I don't know where to even begin telling you in how many ways this sucks. First, it's a complete waste of money of and resources, but then it's also hugely bad publicity. "Look how much people are paying us for the crap we sell! Let's throw a lot of money away and make sure everyone sees! Suckers!!!" "Besides, care to tell me where your estimate comes from? As far as I am concerned, it could have been done very cheaply by the promo department." ...? Yeah, I'm sorry, I didn't watch & listen to it too carefully the first time. I might have estimated it wrong - it might have been a lot more. Come on, a 3-minute video takes days to create! Someone (a team, I'm guessing) wrote the script, someone wrote the song, a band performed it, someone recorded, mixed and mastered it, they found an actor who looks like Bruce, they have dozens of people on the video who someone did the clothing and make-up for, someone shot the video, someone did the lighting and sound recording, the hire of the equipment and shooting sites is never free, there's transportation and they have to eat etc etc. And besides: a company like Microsoft will always pay more than a small company, often even for the exact same services. Employees doing the acting? How's that 'cheap'? I just got an estimate for a 20 second ad with one actor and a bunch of kids with their backs facing the camera - they just have to stand still, then there's some talking over some simple product animation. Cost? You guessed it: 15000$. It could be different in that we're seeking for new customers, whereas MS seems to be looking to lose some.
drylight
on Apr 17, 2008
I saw the same post at news.com. Are all you Microsoft apologists given scripts by Microsoft? It's lame, retarded and obviously Microsoft sent out command for all the Microsoft blogger fanboys to say, oh yeah no, it was a joke. Joke's on you.. haha.. please!
drylight
on Apr 17, 2008
The joke is right here www.microsoft.com
RunTimeError
on Apr 17, 2008
"maybe not, compared to your paper-thin church basement photocopying budget." Wae, I wasn't discussing your marketing team." Win.
ibarskiy
on Apr 17, 2008
I saw the same post at news.com. Are all you Microsoft apologists given scripts by Microsoft? It's lame, retarded and obviously Microsoft sent out command for all the Microsoft blogger fanboys to say, oh yeah no, it was a joke. Joke's on you.. haha.. please! Really? In what world do you live where it could possibly be serious?! It was such an effing cheesy video, a company with the budget of MS would produce something much much better. No serious company is ever so self congratulatory in an overbearing way. That alone should have been a giveaway. In what world do you live?!
Waethorn
on Apr 17, 2008
""maybe not, compared to your paper-thin church basement photocopying budget." Wae, I wasn't discussing your marketing team." that's the kind of intelligence you have, responding with a "no, that's you" comment?? ya, nice comeback. [sic] about the same intelligence that thought that the cheeseball video in question really cost a lot of money....the same intelligence that uses a Mac....
Mum
on Apr 18, 2008
"Mum, your comment is idiotic." "the same intelligence that uses a Mac...." Heh :)

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