Scobleizer - Latest Comments in I’m not a Guy kind of Evangelist

Re: I’m not a Guy kind of Evangelist

Law — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 13:36:23 -0000

http://www.livingwaters.com...

Re: I’m not a Guy kind of Evangelist

Java Evangelist — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 03:18:04 -0000

From one evangelist to another - the difference between good technology evangelists and what MS has is that good ones believe there is a cause, and part of that cause is to enable other developers to innovate in some insalely great and new ways - leveraging open interfaces and open source - not what MS chooses to engineer and sell (have any more security patches to foist on your customers yet?)

And yes, I'm paid by my employer to educate developers worldwide on "the better path..."

Re: I’m not a Guy kind of Evangelist

J. Random Poster — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 16:17:50 -0000

Scoble,

Well, Apple's paying me in a sense, even though they're not sending me any checks. Strictly speaking, I'm paid by my fellow investors on the NASDAQ. My holdings are up over fifty percent just since October, and I sell puts whenever I need some cash.

If the Evil Empire is paying you enough to exceed your current expenses, you really should pick up some AAPL shares. I bought a pile of them at prices from $48-50, and grabbed some more about two weeks ago at $70.8.

Speaking of investing, when are you clowns going to ship Vista? I'm ready to make out like a bandit on MSFT puts when everyone figures out that it's just XP with a couple of "me-toos", and I just need a ship date!

Re: I’m not a Guy kind of Evangelist

scobleizer — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 02:38:08 -0000

J. Random: are you paid by Apple? Sure sounds like it.

Re: I’m not a Guy kind of Evangelist

J. Random Poster — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 02:19:08 -0000

Scoble,

The reason you don't see the products you push as a cause, is simply because they're not GOOD ENOUGH to be a cause. When Guy talks about Evangelism, he's talking about what he did for the Mac, which simply isn't possible to do for mediocre crap.

You're a knock-off of an evangelist; not as good as a real one, no matter what your job title is. Just like Windows isn't as good as the Mac. If you were really an Evangelist, you'd be working for a company like Apple, or Skype, or TiVo: a company with a product that's good enough to really CARE about.

What Guy did was convince developers to help Apple and the Macintosh change the world. What you do is help your employer pretend that mediocrity and playing "me too" isn't all that bad. Calling you an Evangelist is about the same as comparing Al Sharpton to Martin Luther King.

Re: I’m not a Guy kind of Evangelist

Brian Phipps — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 18:28:59 -0000

Robert, I think your real value is much greater than “evangelist.” You’re a leader of the Microsoft brand (and a fundamental shaper of it, too). The purpose of a brand is to engage customers in ways that create new forms of value. That’s what you do. You always seem to operate in “brand mode,” which is when one’s brain burns with the question: “What is holding our customers back?” Whenever the brand team, or an evangelist, thinks like that, good things happen for customers.

Re: I’m not a Guy kind of Evangelist

Doug Mahugh — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 14:58:42 -0000

This week I had an ISV partner from Taiwan ask me to explain what the word "evangelist" means. Another ISV, born and raised in Haiti, answered for me, explaining that in his native land they call it "voodoo" instead of "evangelism." I just nodded in agreement. :-)

Re: I’m not a Guy kind of Evangelist

Marcus — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 08:24:47 -0000

I think you're confusing the term "religious" with "zealous" or maybe "fanatical." In either case, your characterization of being religious as not being "skeptical, educated, [or] pragmatic" misses the mark.

Re: I’m not a Guy kind of Evangelist

Daniel Glazman — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 06:24:27 -0000

I don't want to NEED a phone/PDA/TabletPC at the bus stop to know when the next bus is coming. I want the bus stop itself to have a display showing that information ! Digital lifestyle, yes. Always in my pocket, and from my wallet, not necessarily !

Re: I’m not a Guy kind of Evangelist

David Utter — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 05:15:00 -0000

@Scobleizer: If business schools are teaching that you should talk about your competitors, how come so few companies are doing it?

Schools probably are not teaching that, as you mentioned in your original post. I think that was the Rainmaker author's point.

It's not talking about the competition, but knowing the competition well enough (and your own products/services) that one can identify those contrasting differences, and discuss them.

Your own product benefits from the boost, and when the customer goes to the competition, they aren't telling Apple (a random example) how much you slammed them. You've conditioned them to expect comparisons on salient points instead of being on the receiving end of talking brochure-ware.

And that enhances how the customer perceives your company because you've added value to their consideration of your products and the competitor's.

Re: I’m not a Guy kind of Evangelist

Anona — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 03:49:17 -0000

That's absolute, utter nonsense, Roberto.
MSFT does NOT charge for WMP.
It has everything, I mean everything to do with DRM.
Why wouldn't MSFT want their content partners to be able to sell into the Mac market, of tens of millions of relatively higher-purchasing power users? Are you telling me that MTV/Urge would have no natural customers in the Mac world?
You are simply asking your own customers to make a choice between Windows-only or xplatform distribution. That's the classic lock-in proposition.
Hopefully, people won't let you wiggle out of this one.

Re: I’m not a Guy kind of Evangelist

scobleizer — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 03:11:16 -0000

Anona: this has nothing to do with being open or closed. I has to do with MBA types telling execs they can't make any money so to take their resources and spend them somewhere else.

Re: I’m not a Guy kind of Evangelist

Deepak — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 03:09:02 -0000

It's always fun watching the Apple/Microsoft debates and name throwing. For what its worth, I use a windows laptop because of ubiquity, a custom-built windows desktop to record music for some of the some reasons, a Linux desktop by choice, and no Mac by choice (not even an iPod), because of Apple's traditional control over hardware choices (said iPod for example) and cause I always build my desktops myself.

That said, OSX is the best desktop OS out there. Almost makes me want to buy a MacBook :).

Re: I’m not a Guy kind of Evangelist

scobleizer — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 03:08:48 -0000

Dennis: why did you move from DOS? Or, if you were on the Apple side of the house, from Apple II. It was more productive, right? Same for the newer stuff.

I have only been using Office 12 for a few weeks and already I can't stand using the old version. Just do one thing: a pivot table in Excel. Try it on the old version and then on the new version. It takes an hour's worth of work and makes it a minute or two.

And that's only one of hundreds of features.

Re: I’m not a Guy kind of Evangelist

scobleizer — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 03:06:27 -0000

Test. Why aren't comments showing up? Weird.

Re: I’m not a Guy kind of Evangelist

Innocent Bystander — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 02:44:10 -0000

"I’ve used Macs many times in the past, but you’ll tear my custom-built Windows XP machine out of my cold, dead hands."

Actually, I think we'll just bury it with you.

Re: I’m not a Guy kind of Evangelist

Anona — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 02:43:53 -0000

This is why most of us don't buy the recent "open" MSFT schtick. This is why we get disgusted when MSFT attacks Apple for being against choice, closed, proprietary, etc in digital music. This is why when you, the evangelist, asks what MSFT can do to make our life better, we laugh. That's why when MSFT says various extensions of Vista will work on Macs, we don't trust you. This why when MSFT says Office 12 is XML, we immediately look for the Catch-22 and the implicit lock-in. This is why MSFT is not liked in the community. This is why MSFT won't succeed.

Re: I’m not a Guy kind of Evangelist

scobleizer — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 02:21:26 -0000

Anona: I'm checking into that here. I think that's a mistake to abandon the Mac player.

Re: I’m not a Guy kind of Evangelist

Anona — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 01:52:25 -0000

Read it for yourself:

"Microsoft has officially halted development of its Windows Media Player for the Mac and plans no future Apple Computer versions of its music-playing software, CNET News.com has learned."

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-...

Re: I’m not a Guy kind of Evangelist

Roland Tanglao — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 01:38:27 -0000

looking forward to your demo at MooseCamp on Feb 10!

Re: I’m not a Guy kind of Evangelist

bigstu — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 01:38:26 -0000

so what do you want from god?
a similar perception.
they are close but not quite close enough?
ever seen the stars at night?
so smart you cannot or begin to see?

Re: I’m not a Guy kind of Evangelist

Christoph Wagner — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 01:28:48 -0000

iPod is NOT cool.
it was for the first few days after release.
not on topic? nevermind;)

Re: I’m not a Guy kind of Evangelist

Albert — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 01:26:05 -0000

Perhaps the term evangelist sounds a bit fanatical. But I like your 'evangelism' approach because you have an open-mind, and not afraid to write what you think is good or bad.

Re: I’m not a Guy kind of Evangelist

scobleizer — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 01:22:29 -0000

Anona: who said that MSFT is abandoning WMP on Macs?

Re: I’m not a Guy kind of Evangelist

Anona — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 01:15:21 -0000

So Roberto how are you going to evangelize MSFT's decision to abandon WMP on Macs, thereby denying any future DRM or client-side scripting access? Just how on earth is that not a disservice to MSFT customers who use WM to distribute content?

Are you guys so threatened by iTunes/FairPlay? Where's the kinder and gentler and more open MSFT? Who cares how many bloggers MSFT has, as long as the company keeps on doing the only thing it knows how to do well: lock-in!

Disgrace.