Sure Dennis Crowley might be the newest hot shit whiz kid with the newest and hottest Web 2.0 con job but that doesn’t mean that snubbing one of the biggest tech companies in the world, who by the way came knocking on your door, is a smart idea. I mean when Microsoft’s Director of Social Engagements comes knocking because they want to do a deal ignoring the man, besides being down right rude, is exceedingly stupid.
As the dissed director Mark Drapeau wrote in a comment at ReadWriteWeb
Here’s my personal experience with FourSquare as Microsoft’s Director of Social Engagements (focused on U.S. public sector business).
I used it for a while on my phone. Got good at it. Pushed the limits of checking in. Became a Super Mayor. Did a CNN interview about it, among other things like that. Realized waitstaff at places offering specials did not even know what was happening. Got bored with it. Stopped checking in. Now I know lots of people trying it. My guess is they will get bored quicker than me. I’m an early unadopter; I know when something is not useful to me (who remembers FriendFeed?).
Somewhere in the middle of that, I considered a badge or something similar for a big social event Microsoft was sponsoring at an O’Reilly event. Emailed Dennis; no reply (may have been meeting with VC’s). Attempted to call; no phone number. Tried to visit in person; couldn’t get it.
Anything’s possible, but I’m kinda over it. Geo-apps and similar are important. But there has to be long-term value for consumers/users, whomever the players are (Facebook, Yelp, FourSquare, etc.), and there has to be a true connection between users, owners of locations, the staff at those locations, and the company.
Sure I can see your thinking right know because it is the most persuasive one in Web 2.0 and Social Media. It is the one where Microsoft is a dinosaur and is a null player in this new world and is something that I see on a daily basis in the tech blogosphere.
To a certain extent given the company’s current upper management, and bloated middle-management, Microsoft is having a hard time coming to grips with their place in this new Web. That doesn’t mean though that treating the company the way that Crowley did is acceptable or smart. Has the new Web decided that common decency and respect is something that the really cool kids don’t have to practice?
I also think that while it might be cool to be taking pot-shots at the company and dissing Microsoft directors who want to do business with you it is extremely short-sighted. Microsoft might being going through some extremely important internal upheaval but as I said to @rickmahn on Twitter last night – never count Microsoft as being out of the game
My father taught me many years ago to never ever burn bridges behind you because you never know when you are going to need to cross back over that bridge. No matter what one thinks of Microsoft it still isn’t a company to burn bridges to – it’ll come back to bite you on the ass …. hard.
No related posts.
