4 ms·

You should have probably disclosed up front that you work for Microsoft. As much as I like .NET, I like full disclosure more.

by johns 18y ago

blasdel 18y ago
Wow, you're right: Brandon Watson ... is a board member of the Family Online Safety Institute and a former Microsoft manager. I have been hacking away in Python for a couple years, but now that I am in the Developer Platform Marketing division at Microsoft... That's a banning! Brandon founded IMSafer in 2006 in response to the growing threat of online predators and the lack of effective tools for parents. He's an opportunistic ass, evangelizing about the imminent paedogeddon... IMSafer uses an advance language analysis engine to decipher the cryptic language used in IM conversations and on MySpace message boards, scanning for language that is dangerous, threatening or sexual in nature. In addition, IMSafer monitors MySpace accounts and reports changes made to any age, name or location disclosed. ...and a snake oil salesman too!
- drhowarddrfine 18y ago
  Only a Microsoft person would stoop so low. When your browser and stock price is losing market share and value like crazy, you have to resort to dirty tricks to save your job.
  - blasdel 18y ago
    It seems like it might be a hail mary for him, considering this quote from his blog: Now that I have been working in the Developer and Platform Tools marketing group at Microsoft for close to a year, I have decided that it’s probably a good idea for me to be technically proficient in our own technologies.
    - BrandonWatson 18y ago
      Again, apologies. The last thing I want is to upset this community. I am Brandon Watson, and I work at Microsoft. I am not, nor would I, trying to hide that. I asked the original question with genuine interest in the opinions of this community about the MSFT stack. I'm an HN addict, and consider it a valuable knowledge discovery (links, blogs, products, answers, philosphical questions) resouce.
      - blasdel 18y ago
        Except that it is your job to evangelize Microsoft products to us, and it's pretty clear that this thread is part of that. If you really are "new to the MSFT stack", what the fuck have you done at your job for the last year? I've dealt with a Microsoft "evangelist" guy before in academia, promoting their "Shared Source" initiatives trying to convince professors to teach NT internals in OS courses. At least he was straightforward with his trolling, and entertainingly churlish. Your whole deal just seems sort of pathetic. You don't have a clue about JS, CSS, or SQL? You've been paid to promote a "stack" for a year and you just tried it out for the first time a week ago and are posting about it in multiple places on the web? You're ("pulling some marketing bullshit" ∪ "an idiot").
        BrandonWatson 18y ago
        I don't work in DPE (Developer & Platform Evangelism). I work in product management (marketing). I have decent tech skills, but over the last year, my group was focused on launching our Azure Services Platform. The bulk of that work was about positioning, partners, brand, pricing, features, etc. Not a ton of time for actually using the platform. A new year resolution was that I wanted to spend my free hcaking time in ASP.NET. It's all up on my blog, out in the open. I'm not trying to hide anything from anyone, and I apologize againg to the community if it came across that way.
        blasdel 18y ago
        The marketing for Azure makes more sense in light of you not having used any of the stuff you were promoting. Nowhere do you mention any of your competitors, much less compare yourself to them. None of the "tracks" [Web Developers, Corporate Developers, ISVs, Systems Integrators, Business] had anything pertinent, and none of it was remotely useful to anyone to whom cloud computing was more than the cover story of the latest IT Drone Monthly. The copy is littered with grating faux pas, like: "multiple internet protocols, including HTTP, REST, SOAP, and XML". The only useful information I could find about the offering was from your competitors! -- http://snarfed.org/space/windows+azure+details http://snarfed.org/space/windows+azure+details PS: use your hour-long edit window to correct your spelling and grammar mistakes
- BrandonWatson 18y ago
  Wow...totally my bad about the non-disclosure. I actually didn't see it that way, but if the community demands the disclosure, I am completely in the wrong. I apologize. I wasn't trying to hide who I am. I asked the same question here that I am asking internally. I am genuinely interested in the sentiment of non-MSFT stack users about the MSFT stack. Sometimes it's a good idea to get outside of the walls of MSFT. Again, I aologize for any perception of malfeasance. I love HN.

You should have probably disclosed up front that you work for Microsoft. As much as I like .NET, I like full disclosure more.

by johns 18y ago

You should have probably disclosed up front that you work for Microsoft. As much as I like .NET, I like full disclosure more.

blasdel 18y ago

Wow, you're right: Brandon Watson ... is a board member of the Family Online Safety Institute and a former Microsoft manager. I have been hacking away in Python for a couple years, but now that I am in the Developer Platform Marketing division at Microsoft... That's a banning! Brandon founded IMSafer in 2006 in response to the growing threat of online predators and the lack of effective tools for parents. He's an opportunistic ass, evangelizing about the imminent paedogeddon... IMSafer uses an advance language analysis engine to decipher the cryptic language used in IM conversations and on MySpace message boards, scanning for language that is dangerous, threatening or sexual in nature. In addition, IMSafer monitors MySpace accounts and reports changes made to any age, name or location disclosed. ...and a snake oil salesman too!

drhowarddrfine 18y ago
Only a Microsoft person would stoop so low. When your browser and stock price is losing market share and value like crazy, you have to resort to dirty tricks to save your job.
- blasdel 18y ago
  It seems like it might be a hail mary for him, considering this quote from his blog: Now that I have been working in the Developer and Platform Tools marketing group at Microsoft for close to a year, I have decided that it’s probably a good idea for me to be technically proficient in our own technologies.
  - BrandonWatson 18y ago
    Again, apologies. The last thing I want is to upset this community. I am Brandon Watson, and I work at Microsoft. I am not, nor would I, trying to hide that. I asked the original question with genuine interest in the opinions of this community about the MSFT stack. I'm an HN addict, and consider it a valuable knowledge discovery (links, blogs, products, answers, philosphical questions) resouce.
    - blasdel 18y ago
      Except that it is your job to evangelize Microsoft products to us, and it's pretty clear that this thread is part of that. If you really are "new to the MSFT stack", what the fuck have you done at your job for the last year? I've dealt with a Microsoft "evangelist" guy before in academia, promoting their "Shared Source" initiatives trying to convince professors to teach NT internals in OS courses. At least he was straightforward with his trolling, and entertainingly churlish. Your whole deal just seems sort of pathetic. You don't have a clue about JS, CSS, or SQL? You've been paid to promote a "stack" for a year and you just tried it out for the first time a week ago and are posting about it in multiple places on the web? You're ("pulling some marketing bullshit" ∪ "an idiot").
      - BrandonWatson 18y ago
        I don't work in DPE (Developer & Platform Evangelism). I work in product management (marketing). I have decent tech skills, but over the last year, my group was focused on launching our Azure Services Platform. The bulk of that work was about positioning, partners, brand, pricing, features, etc. Not a ton of time for actually using the platform. A new year resolution was that I wanted to spend my free hcaking time in ASP.NET. It's all up on my blog, out in the open. I'm not trying to hide anything from anyone, and I apologize againg to the community if it came across that way.
        blasdel 18y ago
        The marketing for Azure makes more sense in light of you not having used any of the stuff you were promoting. Nowhere do you mention any of your competitors, much less compare yourself to them. None of the "tracks" [Web Developers, Corporate Developers, ISVs, Systems Integrators, Business] had anything pertinent, and none of it was remotely useful to anyone to whom cloud computing was more than the cover story of the latest IT Drone Monthly. The copy is littered with grating faux pas, like: "multiple internet protocols, including HTTP, REST, SOAP, and XML". The only useful information I could find about the offering was from your competitors! -- http://snarfed.org/space/windows+azure+details http://snarfed.org/space/windows+azure+details PS: use your hour-long edit window to correct your spelling and grammar mistakes
BrandonWatson 18y ago
Wow...totally my bad about the non-disclosure. I actually didn't see it that way, but if the community demands the disclosure, I am completely in the wrong. I apologize. I wasn't trying to hide who I am. I asked the same question here that I am asking internally. I am genuinely interested in the sentiment of non-MSFT stack users about the MSFT stack. Sometimes it's a good idea to get outside of the walls of MSFT. Again, I aologize for any perception of malfeasance. I love HN.