The Unexciting Microsoft
Have you been reading Scoble lately? My God, this man is truly on a mission. I want everyone, and that means everyone to notice the job he?s doing right now.
Why? Because it?s brilliant. And not just because I get more hits when I speak of topical geeky things. I?m serious here. The last few days I have been astounded by his blogging.
Take for instance this excerpt from a recent post: ??if we were really smart, we?d start working together with others in the industry to build our own, open, attention API, that we?d agree not to monetize (at least for a decent length of time) and that we?d get everyone to play in. In other words, if we were smart we?d join the Attention Trust. If we could do that then we could disrupt Google.?
And it?s not like Scoble is the only one thinking this, but he?s also the only one who?s actively trying to make Microsoft not look like a complete fool after their dishwater-dull live.com demo misfire. Seriously guys, phrases like ?Businesses want to work together? is not only making you look bad, it?s providing the worst impression imaginable.
I said this in one of my earlier geek posts: Attention is the new Portal. What Microsoft has made is a friggin portal. Circa 1998. Remember the doomed Go.com via Disney? This is the exact thing that ?Web 2.0?, whatever in the hell that supposed to be, is set on eliminating.
Convergence focused on taking all of the brilliant bits we use every day and interlocking them with standardized services, protocols, and applications. I see absolutely none of this from live.com. Hell, it doesn?t even have Firefox support, which 10% of the world's web surfers now use!
This goes beyond Joel's insightful post about the Marimba Phenomenon, though it proves a powerful point: You have a sub-standard site, that absolutely no one I know is excited about, trying to overhaul a software company into a services company with a demo that explodes on impact. With Office Live not making its debut until a year from now.
Scoble is trying to wake Microsoft up here: Do you really think a business is going to trust Microsoft with its most precious documents? And I?m not demonizing the company, I?m talking about simply trusting your work and presentations to online databases and file storage. Which do you trust more: Your ability to work and use your laptop with the files that reside on it, or your web browser, a sometimes shoddy network connection, and the services you reach with it?
Honestly, I like Writeboard better than Word right now. Why? Because I don?t need a decked-out SUV to get a gallon of milk at the store. I don?t need a movie theater to watch the latest episode of LOST (though a geek can dream). In other words, after Microsoft busts their ass and puts the time and code into making Internet Word as powerful and robust as Windows Word, will anyone care?
Will anyone use it?
Does anyone want to use it?
Have these questions been asked by people inside Microsoft? Are they confident that providing an Office Suite online, when no-frills online competitors and free desktop alternatives exist, will make them money?
The net is not about what applications you run. Think of this in Fight Club terms: You are not your bank account. You are not your online services.
You are important on the ?net because of what you look at, participate in, and click on (or link to). This is the idea of Attention and its importance in the New Net Order.
Scoble knows that Mom and Pop are not reading his blog. Tech geeks, influencers, and powerful online individuals are paying attention to him. The same peeps who are ga-ga for Google (myself included) don?t give a rats ass about another AJAX-filled portal.
The most successful companies I?ve noticed of late have done one thing and done it well. When they unveil a service it is not services. It is a singular entity used to do one thing and do it well. It is not tied up in deals and bargains, it is not part of a puzzle that is ?greater than the sum of its parts.?
Repeat after me: The sum is not important, the part is!
I think of Flickr for photos. I think of Writeboard for easy document collaboration and sharing. I think of Blogger for blogging. I think of Onfolio for desktop RSS reading, or Bloglines for an online version. I think of Gmail for my email, and Google Talk for IM.
What I don?t think is, ?Boy, I wish I had a site that let me combine all of these.?
What I think is, ?Boy, I?m so glad these are here. I wonder what other cool and non-copycat services will make my life easier in the future??
Live.com is not doing this. Office Online is not doing this.
What is doing this? Currently, it?s the idea of using mapping technology to tie me into local businesses, blogs, and opportunities. This seems to be the next great advertising space, and as long as its low-key and non-intrusive, I?m completely cool with that.
And, you know, low-key and non-intrusive advertising kind of made one of the biggest and best online companies cool.
It seems oxymoronic that I feel a little sad for Microsoft and their quest for mediocrity. Scoble as an evangelist is doing a phenomenal job. Now if his company chooses to listen, that?s the real goal.
Thanks for stopping by, I?ll see you next week.
Ring ring ring goes the telephone
The lights are on but there?s no one home
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