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Re: Microsoft in hot water over Wikipedia edits

  • Subject: Re: Microsoft in hot water over Wikipedia edits
  • From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 19:42:30 +0000
  • Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy
  • Organization: schestowitz.com / Netscape
  • References: <1169665635.021732.172460@l53g2000cwa.googlegroups.com> <pan.2007.01.24.19.18.16.591560@tiscali.co.uk>
  • Reply-to: newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • User-agent: KNode/0.7.2
__/ [ Kier ] on Wednesday 24 January 2007 19:18 \__

> On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 11:07:15 -0800, Ramon F Herrera wrote:
> 
> 
> 
>>
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/01/24/microsoft.wikipedia.ap/index.html
>> 
>> 
> 
> "Wales said the proper course would have been for Microsoft to write or
> commission a "white paper" on the subject with its interpretation of the
> facts, post it to an outside Web site and then link to it in the Wikipedia
> articles' discussion forums."
> 
> He's probably right. But the big problem with wikipedia, wonderful as it
> is in many ways, is that anyone can edit it, so inevitably, some people
> are going to bring bias into some entries, personal or otherwise. And MS
> is a popular target (fairly unsurprisingly).

As I said in a different threat (it's worth repeating), companies are also
planting people in social (Web 2.0-esque) sites.

There's plenty of information which suggests it's perceived as an acceptable
strategy at Redmond.

,----[ Quote ]
| In 2001, the Los Angeles Times accused Microsoft of astroturfing
| when hundreds of similar letters were sent to newspapers voicing
| disagreement with the United States Department of Justice and its
| antitrust suit against Microsoft. The letters, prepared by Americans
| for Technology Leadership, had in some cases been mailed from
| deceased citizens or nonexistent addresses.
`----

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroturfing


Microsoft Traps and Hunts for Bloggers in India !!

,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft has announced the "Microsoft BlogStars" contest, to Hunts
| for Developer Bloggers in India. After feeling the power and increase of
| the Bloggers community in India, Microsoft tries to trap and hunt Bloggers
| in India to buildup the blogging community, for writing blog posts
| supporting towards Microsoft Technologies.
`----

http://i5bala.blogspot.com/2006/10/microsoft-traps-and-hunts-for-bloggers.html


,----[ Quote ]
| Long before it employed bloggers to do the job for it, Microsoft hired
| sympathetic members of the public to make its case in online forums,
| posing as disinterested citizens. Things got much more professional as
| the antitrust trial unfurled. After hiring DCI in the late 1990s,
| Microsoft created two new trade groups, the Association for Competitive
| Technology (ACT), and the Americans for Technology Leadership (ALT),
| and marshaled campaigns such as "Freedom to Innovate" - encouraging
| Windows users the chance to make spontaneous gestures of support for
| Chairman Bill.
|
| These weren't always too successful. A campaign in 2001 to petition 17
| state's Attorney Generals - who had pooled resources to bring their
| own antitrust action against Microsoft - resulted in supportive letters
| being written by dead people.
|
| And the astroturf taint continues today.
|
| Most recently, a spoof video portraying Al Gore as a Penguin was reported
| to have originated from a computer registered to the DCI Group, although
| the lobby group said it did not fund or approve the video.
`----

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/14/google_lobby/


,----[ Quote ]
| "Some years back, Microsoft practiced a lot of dirty tricks using
| online mavens to go into forums and create Web sites extolling the virtues
| of Windows over OS/2. They were dubbed the Microsoft Munchkins, and it
| was obvious who they were and what they were up to. But their numbers
| and energy (and they way they joined forces with nonaligned dummies who
| liked to pile on) proved too much for IBM marketers, and Windows wont
| he operating-system war through fifth-column tactics"
|
| Mr Dvorak wonders if Microsoft is today using reverse-dirty-tricks
| to promote the Xbox 360: pay people to create Web sites that slam the
| gaming computer in order to provoke a barrage of defenders.
`----

http://worldcadaccess.typepad.com/gizmos/2005/11/2_grassroots_an.html

Shill season

,----[ Quote ]
| It's often difficult to figure out the motivation behind a particular
| study - until one finds out who has commissioned and paid for it.
| The so-called tech consulting companies would love it if the consumer
| believes that they have conducted an "independent" study. The worrying
| thing is that not many people blow their cover.
`----

http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/8109/1090/


NY Times rattles IT industry with analyst ban

,----[ Quote ]
| Speaking of which, let's see what triggered the Enderle/Microsoft
| ban.
|
| In a story about Microsoft's XBox, Enderle described the direct
| relationship between the game console, download services and the TV.
`----

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/12/12/analyst_nytimes/


-- 
                        ~~ Best wishes 

Maths applied to numbers is like logic applied to statistics. Statistics are
lies.
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