04.26.10
Microsoft Targets Politicians
José Manuel Baroso, Steve Ballmer, and Nicolas
Sarkozy (CEBIT 2008); Credit: Geoffrey La Rocca
Summary: Microsoft has new tools only for people who are in politics
MICROSOFT ALREADY enjoys many connections with governments around the world. For instance, see the following pages:
- Microsoft influence in the United States government
- Microsoft influence in the Indian government
- Microsoft influence in Europe
- Microsoft influence in Asia
Microsoft takes this type of relationships even further with new software that specifically targets politicians. Microsoft calls this TownHall and it is being promoted in IDG’s latest Microsoft-boosting section, as well as Elizabeth Montalbano, a Microsoft booster from IDG, who is now writing for InformationWeek.
As part of a strategy to take advantage of the open government initiatives, Microsoft Monday released a new cloud-based crowdsourcing platform for public officials and candidates running for office.
Microsoft Jack wrote about this too and so did other Windows Web sites.
Microsoft rarely addresses the needs of the public (Microsoft tells the public what it supposedly wants), but here it is pampering politicians, who used to scrutinise Microsoft for its many violations of the law.
The Inquirer is one among several publications which reported that Microsoft was somehow getting past the flights suspension caused by the volcano. To quote:
It seems lots of European employees were visiting Redmond to receive their instructions from the Supreme Vole, Steve Ballmer. While the Euro Voles were recovering in Microsoft’s post-Ballmer recovery room, they got the news that they were stuck in Redmond for the foreseeable future.
But Steve apparently didn’t like the fact that there were all these spare foreign Voles hanging about. They were making the place look untidy, so he ordered his minions to do something.
Microsoft happens to have many lobbyists stationed in Europe these days. They must be receiving special treatment while everyone else (the ‘little people’) stays stranded. █
