Microsoft Taps Bloggers to Promote Longhorn

Tim writes "With Beta 1 of Longhorn less than two months away, Microsoft is looking at a new marketing tool to help promote its new Windows: bloggers. According to BetaNews, Microsoft's "Team 99" evangelism effort will be composed of bloggers that will become Microsoft's voice to the masses. Robert Scoble said Team 99 was once secret, but has been revived and Microsoft is now accepting nominations. It's nice to see Microsoft recognizing the power of blogs, but the move is likely going to draw accusations that Redmond is trying to buy off bloggers to hype Longhorn."

Re:Weird names

[Taladar]

Gentoo is some penguin species.

Re:Weird names

[caluml]

Gentoo is a type of penguin. I found this out when I went to Bristol zoo to see the albino penguin there [wirefree.org] - which is very rare. I emailed Linus to ask if we should destroy this monstrosity, but he said that it was allowed to be different. So it lived.

Yup

[Greyfox]

Back before Linux hit it big they were caught paying reporters to write favorable articles for Windows in the face of competition by OS/2. Particularly amusing was their attempt to look like they had a grass roots movement like Team OS/2 by bringing Microsoft employees to the '95 Atlanta COMDEX to pose as "Team Microsoft." I don't know what's more amusing; the fact that Microsoft has always had to pay people off to try to appear like they too have grassroots support or that they've been caught at it pretty much every time they've tried it.

Microsoft marketing, if you're reading this, these marketing ploys just make you look pathetic. Stick to what you're good at and play up the heartless corporation aspect of your corporate image. Honestly...

Re:Astroturf, Anyone?

[OldSchoolNapster]

I have two computers, both dualbooting Windows XP and Mandrake Linux. One is unstable in both OSs, with Linux so unstable that I can't even get through five microsoft astroturfer conspiracies on slashdot before the web browser crashes for seemingly no reason. The same computer has stability problems under XP, but is markedly more stable than Linux.

My new computer (payed for by perl/solaris internship at a major telecom company for those who love to question my skills) runs both operationg systems flawlessly. Doesn't crash in Windows (ever), doesn't crash in Linux (ever). I know that by saying this I am opening myself up to astroturfing accusations (the groupthink is strong with this bunch) but you people deserve at least a taste of non-zealotry inspired babble. When you accuse those who hold different opinions than yours of astroturfing you just make yourselves more unappealing. Notice I said yourselves, not your operating systems. Just because you are a bunch of self-important, self-rightous, foaming at the mouth zealots doesn't mean Linux isn't great software:-)

Re:Weird names

[dustmite]

In some parts of South Africa (same country as Ubuntu is from, incidentally) "gentoo" is a slang word for a prostitute.