Forum Moderators: open
If there were only one person writing Web pages, Google wouldn't work. But Google Groups doesn't do what we do to Usenet. We're doing something useful to Usenet. We're not yet a search engine, we're a research project. And we will eventually be doing things related to the full text of the message.
Interesting way they put it though. Comments?
On the other, there's a privacy risk. In some ways, consider us a form of performance art. Would you like to see you? This is potent. We accept that and hope we can offer people good prophylactics against loss of privacy. And that may mean keeping multiple IDs and e-mail addresses. Ultimately we may have to fragment our identities.
Performer Artist Group Microsoft obvisously thinks "Let's eliminate their anonymity and then sell them some stealth identities back." I wonder when they'll start to assimilate their users?
Shudder
With Usenet there is one that says "Leave my messages alone," and we respect that. We will not store your messages if you put that in them.
Oh, great, so if I don't want my posts (and name and posting history) on MicroScam I can use the X-No-Archive header and get them killed by Google Groups and everyone else too? No thanks.
Shite like this really makes me wonder if I should give up Usenet altogether. (But--but--I don't like those "pretty" php boards with their "cute" smiley faces. I *like* all text . . .)
This is an extremely cool statement coming from a Microsoft person. I think if most companies are doing it right, then this statement should apply.
In fact, it's pretty clear that to many of us here at WW, this statement, "we're a research project," is our reality.
Any talk about usability, testing, ROI, or even just "change" means that we're researching what we're doing and modifying our business behaviors based on what we find. That's all this MS guy is talking about, really ... figuring out what his users are up to so that his company can modify things/monetize things/change things.
The problem is that the company name "Microsoft" is so loaded with evil connotations that it's hard for people to imagine them using their powers for good instead of evil!
But this is really great stuff, if they're doing what they say they're doing. What better way to learn than to study people?
