Scobleizer - Latest Comments in Heading to the BBC

Re: Heading to the BBC

Robert Scoble — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 16:10:47 -0000

Elvis: I'm not an exec.

My three meetings were not staged.

It doesn't matter anyway. It's over now. Next!

But, if any Microsoft employee wants to get into that position, I'd recommend putting their cell phone number on their blog. In reality that's why I got invited.

Re: Heading to the BBC

Elvis Pelfrey — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 16:08:20 -0000

@63. Where did I suggest they get an exec? You're not exec, right? I simply suggested they could have found someone with more insight on Bill Gates and more experience at Microsoft than a regular employee with 3 years tenure and having only had 3 staged meetings with Gates, that's all. I gotta believe there was someone in the UK with even much more insight on Gates than you have. And someone more in tune with the BEEB's audience as well. Didn't have to be an exec. And for that matter you are still an employee, right? So you can still break into jail just as easily as any other MS employee/exec. I'm not sure the US laws make that fine a distinction.

Re: Heading to the BBC

Robert Scoble — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 05:22:02 -0000

>The BEEB wanted someone with insight on Gates so they chose a blogger that is leaving the company?

I assume I was picked because I interviewed more than 700 Microsoft employees internally and knew the management team around Gates (I interviewed Gates' Technical Assistant on Tuesday, for instance).

But, really, it's hard to get people to agree to come on camera. The chances you'll "break into jail" are quite high in such a situation, particularly when they are asking questions about Microsoft's monopoly status. So, most execs will turn down those kinds of interview requests.

Re: Heading to the BBC

Trish — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 05:13:41 -0000

Nice job done there Rob, you handled it quite well.
I'm eager to see what will become of Microsoft without Gates.

Re: Heading to the BBC

hugh macleod — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 05:05:39 -0000

Re: Daz. As usual, Robert's harshest criticism comes from a non-blogger. They can dish it out but don't feel the need to take it themselves. Makes me sick.

I thought you did fine, Robert. Rock on.

Re: Heading to the BBC

rockwatching — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 00:05:37 -0000

Yeah, no ego, just the facts to make an informed decision, a good listener. Sorry I missed your appearance on TV, would have watched if I had known as I've been following your blog lately but to little time, work has cut in to my private life quite a bit - seems to have a habit of doing that. Mick http://rockwatching.wordpre...

Re: Heading to the BBC

zhonghuarising — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 21:18:31 -0000

I didn't get to see the interview the first time around and managed to screw up my TiVo settings so I didn't record it, either. Too bad, because it sounds like it was an interesting show!

Re: Heading to the BBC

Gerard — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 21:16:39 -0000

I can't wait for you to leave MS and become part of the real world again. I would love to see how you blog on MS affairs in the years to come.

Seriously.

Re: Heading to the BBC

Elvis Pelfrey — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 20:38:10 -0000

@47. I don't think Daz was asking for a PR hack. The BEEB wanted someone with insight on Gates so they chose a blogger that is leaving the company? And a blogger that by his own admission has only had 3 meetings with Gates in his 3 years at MS. And all of those scheduled? Are you telling me that of the 60,000 people employed at MS that a more knowledable and experienced person, someone that had had more than 3 meetings with Gates and more than 3 years experience at Microsoft couldn't have been found?. I'm not blaming Scoble. From what I can tell he would sell his soul for such publicity. I just don't find it credible that Scoble is the most insightful or knowledgable person they could have found.

Re: Heading to the BBC

nigel — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 20:08:01 -0000

sorry for beeing refused the pingback because of the gfw, from china. Good choise from BG, and the same as you said, he just be the most telant man who both of us have met before.

Re: Heading to the BBC

Darren Straight — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 18:34:48 -0000

Sorry should of included a tiny url instead, my bad!

http://tinyurl.com/mcq32

Re: Heading to the BBC

Darren Straight — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 18:32:31 -0000

Hey thanks for that Duncan, for those of you who dont have real player, check this link out for windows media player:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nolav...

Re: Heading to the BBC

Duncan Smeed — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 17:59:00 -0000

Drat. Sorry about the typo Robert!

Re: Heading to the BBC

Duncan Smeed — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 17:56:29 -0000

Folks can judge how well Reobert did by checking out the Newsnight program. I took the liberty of producing a TinyURL - http://tinyurl.com/s9bhw - to the video stream. Not tested on anything other than my iBook so hopefully it'll work out OK for the rest of you.

Duncan
Dunbar, Scotland

Re: Heading to the BBC

Jerry Mead — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 17:50:59 -0000

No third re-write, I promise :-)

Re: Heading to the BBC

Jerry Mead — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 17:50:20 -0000

Plus, the whole of Newsnight's audience understand that Microsoft is an American company and that Gates is an American citizen. Hence Robert made a much more appropriate spokesperson that some anonoymous EAME droid with the 'wrong' accent.

When you need to make excuses for the Xbox 360 UK launch cockup then roll out NeilHo by all means, but otherwise - on a significant US-focused story such as this - EAME doesn't really count.

Re: Heading to the BBC

Jerry Mead — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 17:48:10 -0000

When you need to make excuses for the Xbox 360 UK rollout cockup then roll out NeilHo by all means,but otherwise on a major US-centric story such as this EAME doesn't really matter.

Re: Heading to the BBC

Rob Atkinson — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 17:42:29 -0000

Totally agree with Pete’s comment. We 'need' more people like Rob working for MS. When I saw Rob put the camera on Steve and Bill during his Channel9 interview on Friday, I got to hear the same old rhetoric that Steve gives out, and then watched Bill do the same without looking directly into the camera. I glimpsed for a second the real Bill before he switched into PR mode. We need more self effacement and less corp. PR – that’s why people warm instantly to the likes of Rob

Rob Atkinson
Kilkenny, Ireland

Re: Heading to the BBC

Pete — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 16:48:38 -0000

I guess I can understand why somebody involved with interacting with customers would think Robert's appearance wasn't the best. He didn't exactly look like the typical PR-polished spokesperson. But that's cool, because in that situation he was perfect. The audience for the programme wasn't Microsoft's customers or people interested in Exchange, SQL or what have you. This was a very brief discussion about Bill Gates on the day that one of the world's most famous geeks said he was moving on from one of the world's most famous companies. I was so pleased to see somebody like Robert on TV speaking for my company and I believe that in a situation like that somebody like Robert is far, far more appropriate than a typical bland, generic, stay-on-message-stay-on-message, godawful PR spokesperson.

Re: Heading to the BBC

Simon Brocklehurst — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 16:24:28 -0000

Daz,

I think you're mistaken. Scoble's understated, "I don't look at it like that" responses to questions were a pretty effective way of dealing with questions about Microsoft's business practices. A bit of humanity was just what was needed; not "fighting fire with fire" as you suggest. And that's what Robert delivered.

The truth is - Microsoft is on shaky ground when it comes to questions relating to its business practices - it keeps getting taken to court by various governments, in case you hadn't noticed. There's no getting away from this; and trust me, some semi-slick, smart-ass executive going on TV and bleating denials/spinning BS won't do the company any favours. I really hope MS has learnt something from Robert during his time at the company.

Re: Heading to the BBC

Daz — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 14:54:46 -0000

@# 30 - I work with customers, on their sites, 80% of the time. The other 20% I am working with internal people trying to help them see customer perspectives more realistically. I think I have a good handle on what customers want from us and how they see us as a result...

Whilst the PR team in Redmond wouldn't have woken up at 5am, the EMEA people would have been well into their lunch so I call bs on that as an excuse why we have a blogger who is about to leave as our global rep, and who didn't even watch the internal webcasts about the issue.

My fundamental point is for high profile scenarios like BBC newsnight you better be ready to be 100% on the ball and to fight fire with fire. It looked to me like we were not in the same league as the other guy. I don't blame Robert for this - I blame our PR people for not being on top of the situation.

Re: Heading to the BBC

Rob Atkinson — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 13:01:38 -0000

Rob,

On reflection, you did good, considering you had a blank canvas to interact with. It was a little unfair of the Beeb loading the program with Linux/Anti-compete stuff and having you respond over a lagging link and cutting you short

They are obviously looking for angles since the two departures. I look forward to you setting the record straight on Microsoft's so called lack of invention - judging by the multitude of great products they're just bringing to market, Irwin Steltzer's comments are unfounded - he's obviously part the Steve Gilmoor mindset..

Rob Atkinson
Kilkenny, Ireland

Re: Heading to the BBC

Richard — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 10:58:26 -0000

You are a lucky guy to have met Bill once, let alone several times. It would be a great experience. I am lucky to have a world-known CEO as a good family friend and find it very interesting spending time with him, although it would qualify as reasonably intense! Spending time with him over in Detroit was quite an experience - it was a way of life I could get used to!

Re: Heading to the BBC

Cy — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 10:42:40 -0000

The BBC takes the idea of playing Devil's Advocate in interviews to extreme and counter-productive lengths. Most of the BBC people who write scripts or appear on camera appear to be die-hard loony lefties. Their very tone of voice, sneeering and supercilious, gets on one's tits. If anything good happens in the entire West, or the West is successful at anything, BBC types snarl with incandescent fury. I have met a few, and I once did Community Service or Job Opportunity or whatever it was called, at a local. I have been interviewed a bit but in a friendly way because the subject was politically neutral. Richard Dimbleby, when I was 8, in 1948, on Down Your Way, was a dear soul not long out of War reporting from bomber and Belsen, but aside form him, I do not like them. cyquick.wordpress.com

Re: Heading to the BBC

Simon Brocklehurst — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 10:41:30 -0000

Robert,

Good job on Newsnight - you came across very well. I didn't agree with all your answers - but you put up a good defence.

Simon