Web Marketing Buzz: Microsoft Knows The Importance, But Not The Howto

Web marketing means using new media like blogs and Wikipedia to promote your cause, service or product. Here are two cases where Microsoft shows us how not to do Web marketing.

A Wake-Up Call to Microsoft's PR Team

From the January 1, 2007, edition of The New York Times:

Several bloggers reported last week that they had received Acer Ferrari laptops, which can sell for more than $2,200, from Microsoft. A spokeswoman for Microsoft confirmed on Friday that the company had sent out about 90 computers to bloggers who write about technology and other subjects" that could be affected by the release of Windows Vista, Microsoft's new operating system. Read the story...

Microsoft Offers Cash for Wikipedia Edit

By BRIAN BERGSTEIN, AP Technology Writer Tue Jan 23

Microsoft Corp. landed in the Wikipedia doghouse Tuesday after it offered to pay a blogger to change technical articles on the community-produced Web encyclopedia site. Read the story...

News travels fast these days.