Rupert Goodwins' Diary

Friday 4/08/2006

Meanwhile, Microsoft's efforts to become a player in the online services game stumble on, with a relaunch of MSN Spaces as Windows Live Spaces having plenty of teething problems. This proves a number of things — firstly, nobody has any idea what MSN is for any more, any more than what the Live strategy is. Second, Microsoft hasn't twigged that the Windows brand is not what you want in an online service: in fact, its Windows addiction is stronger than ever. IE7 has now been renamed Windows Internet Explorer 7 For Windows XP and Windows Internet Explorer 7 On Windows Vista. But then, Microsoft can't do names. It couldn't name a cruise ship if it was given a bottle of champagne on a ribbon.

All of which is a bit sad, because one of the side effects of the anti-viral vicars has been to provide astonishing proof that public perception has moved on from software being something you run on a computer. It's now all Web sites. As journalist Andrew Brown bloggishly points out, when The Times gets the story quite so wrong, the only explanation is that they now think that computing is the Web, and the Web is computing.

Does it matter that Microsoft wants to make Windows the default brand for its web services? It does. It's not that the stuff won't run on non-Windows platforms — even Microsoft's learned that one. Nor is it that people will see Windows and unconsciously stay away: in theory, there's nothing wrong with using the brand awareness they have on their desktops to keep them signed up when they go online.

It's all a matter of community. Lots of smart people don't use Windows. They won't hang out in places with Windows dressing. They know that supporting alternatives is important, and that there's no point in lending their online moxie to something they don't like. That's why you want to make sure your site is Firefox-happy: it's not that you'll be shutting out 10 to 20 percent of your potential audience, but that's exactly the 10 to 20 percent that you want. Creating an online community that will discourage that sort of user isn't the smartest thing to do. They'll go elsewhere, and they'll be followed.

All of which adds up to a company dragging a long way behind the online curve. And it wants so badly to be cool.

Want cool? Monday. Apple. No nonsense. Think they'll be announcing a me-too MySpace? No chance.