Remember when might-be president Barack Obama, assailed by rumors and fabrications from the blogosphere, set up an entire website devoted to dispelling myths and delivering his point of view on issues?

Well, apparently Google remembers too. Welcome to public relations in the 21st century: goodbye stacks of public statements and press releases, hello advocacy websites.

Faced with an ongoing parade of detracters lobbying to block its big deal with Yahoo, the company has put together its own 'facts' site. Not only does it give Google's take on the issue, but all sorts of quotes the company plucked from various sources the company considers experts on the matter.

Definitely an interesting tactic, and it will no doubt help Google in the court of public opinion, but will it do much to sway regulators? The deals detractors have gone straight to Congress and the Department of Justice with their cases. Will Google's blog and web offensive have the same effect?
 

Posted by Shaun Nichols on September 27, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)

A study carried out by jobs and networking site womenintechnology has found that female IT workers think that Margaret Thatcher is the best leader ever.

Yeah, ever! In your face Blair! And you Fern, and your gastric band!

More women (well, six anyway) cited Maggie than any other leader, but dotted around the voting audience were some other niche faves.

Boris Johnson got a couple of votes. The mysterious 'Clinton' - we like to think they meant George - had one. The Queen was in there, because, "She is a great leader and a wonderful mother. Her power is in her big smile and beautiful spirit."

Nelson Mandela had a few, but we liked the caveat in the one that added, "in spite of his womanising traits".

Lord Buddha will be pleased to know that he is in there, "not as a religious figure, but as a great leader". Chairman Mao can take some solace from all those bothersome genocide accusations with this plaudit: "He led the red army and changed a country."

And finally, and perhaps most importantly, TV fashion guru Gok Wan - a dream leader because "he wants others to feel good about themselves".

Author: David Neal

Posted by Madeline Bennett on September 26, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)

In case you missed the news, Google recently turned 10. You might have missed the celebrations, after all the firm didn't exactly mark the anniversary with an Elton-John like fancy dress carnival of excess. But it did make a bit of a splash this week.

Perhaps the most interesting about Google's tenth birthday is the launch of a timeline and associated web sites that the online giant has released. Not only does it cover its history but it also shows you how great the company is and how happy all the staff are.

Did you know that they once bought a load of silly putty? That there is a T-rex on campus, or that the firm randomly gives out bicycles to its staff? You do now.

Does that make you happy? Or does it make you feel like the kid at the party that the magician didn't want anything to do with?

Never mind, you can participate in the celebrations in some way. Google has launched a competition that will help its users save the planet or something. No prize money is involved directly, but it might go some way to helping you find a place in heaven. If you believe in that sort of thing.

We would have been happy with a slice of cake, but you can't have everything.

Author: David Neal

Posted by Madeline Bennett on September 24, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)

A survey from the RAC Foundation has revealed just what it is that most distracts motorists when on the move. Sending a text message is the worst offender, the motoring organisation said.

Does that news surprise anyone? Writing a text message is clearly going to be more dangerous than say, eating a Mars bar, or frenetically flashing the Vs at another car as it requires the driver to concentrate his attention on the phone's keypad and screen rather than the road. Although the latter two activities weren't specifically tested by the RAC.

For the study, the RAC, along with the Transport Research Laboratory, coaxed young drivers into drinking, smoking cannabis and texting while behind the wheel. But don't worry, this was the wheel of a driving simulator.

"According to the survey, reaction times for those engaged in texting deteriorated by 35 per cent - worse than alcohol at the legal limit (12 per cent slower) and driving under the influence of cannabis (21 per cent slower). Steering control and the ability to maintain a safe following distance were also worse."
 
Given that the individuals tested  were all between 17 and 24, it's no wonder that they were so excited about texting.

Drink, drugs, free arcade simulators? I'm txtng mi m8s!

Author: David Neal

Posted by Madeline Bennett on September 18, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Another high profile Bill Gates meets Jerry Seinfeld advertisement has launched. Like the first, it makes for a pretty good one-time view, but again like the first, it doesn't really say much. 

The ads are the start of a long campaign, and if this is the case, they really have to start saying something about what they are all about soon. I know Seinfeld was famously the show about nothing, but an ad that says nothing about a product that people don't really care about getting the most out of, could just turn into a nothing ad.

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how excited you get about corporate marketing materials, I've taken on the task of reading the official line on the adverts from Brad Brooks, corporate vice president for Windows Consumer Product Marketing. Although Brad does have a lot to say, it makes for some slightly confusing reading and isn't exciting thrilling.

"When you think of more than a billion people using Windows across the globe, each person with a unique set of circumstances, and then factor in three Windows platforms and what they can do, it's hard to even comprehend the number of unique scenarios Windows can potentially address," enthuses Brooks. "Today customers see inconsistent buying scenarios, and often end up with PCs or devices that aren't ideally suited to what they want from Windows. And the company hasn't always provided enough information for people to understand the functionality they need, and how to get there. We need to help our customers keep pace."

"Inconsistent buying scenarios"? Unique scenarios that Microsoft can address - potentially? It hardly sets the consumer tongue wagging, does it?

It's a no brainer - to use the vernacular of the watercooler - that the introduction of Seinfeld, and the placing of Gates in a number of increasingly quirky situations will get people talking, writing and blogging. But, will this be the downfall of the ads? Won't they just be forgotten eventually - or sooner even? And more importantly it's still unclear how the ads will encourage people to learn more about and do more with their Microsoft tools and devices?

But at least we have learnt that it's probably a good thing that the Seinfeld series finished when it did, before Gates got a chance for a guest role, and possibly more importantly, that Bill Gates wears shoes, cannot do the robot, and runs effeminately.

Author: David Neal

Posted by Madeline Bennett on September 12, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Until now you might have assumed that Bill Gates has fawn's hooves and romps around Redmond like Mr Tumnus. But, no, he does wear shoes, and apparently buys them in small shoe shops in malls. We know this because in the latest advertisement for Microsoft he is seen in a shoe shop by the comedian Jerry Seinfeld.

Seinfeld, who is wandering along eating a foodstuff that comes on a stick, goes into the store and after a short introduction, him and Bill set about finding a pair of shoes together. Are we genuinely supposed to believe that they have never met? That two of the world's richest people have never got together to chuck bundles of cash at each other while giggling? Are we?

But this is just the tip of the iceberg. As any Seinfeld fan knows, Jerry lives in sneakers. In fact throughout all of the Seinfeld series he poked his matchstick thin legs deep into a  pair of shiny white ones so often that he looked like a man who had just stepped out of some deep snow while wearing boots specially designed to pick up snow. Further proof of his desire to be trainer-clad comes from the fact that in the advert, he appears to be wearing a pair of white foam bananas while out shopping.

While flexing a pair of sensible looking brown loafers, Seinfeld goes on to claim to wear his shoes in the shower. Any fan would disagree with this. We know for a fact that George's dad wears sneakers in swimming pools, but Seinfeld himself?

And equally important, if Bill is looking for a post-Microsoft career, he has no future as a replacement George.

Kramer, maybe.

Author: David Neal

Posted by Madeline Bennett on September 5, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)