Microsoft's new enthusiast evangelist
MS-Watch | at | by Mike
Has Microsoft hired the new Robert Scoble? My former boss, Michael Gartenberg, is leaving the analyst ranks for Microsoft, where he will assume the new role of enthusiast evangelist.
On a new Weblog, he described his role, "to find, engage and work with enthusiasts and other influencers and show them all the cool stuff that Microsoft is doing." I first encountered Gartenberg on Feb. 10, 2000, when he was an analyst for Gartner and I was a reporter for CNET News.com. A day earlier, Gartner PR sent an e-mail that an analyst was available to discuss the Feb. 15 launch of Windows 2000. Wrapped up in other stories, I didn't immediately respond. I later phoned and Gartenberg gave some startling projections: Slow Windows 2000 adoption and warning that one-in-four businesses would have trouble running the software. I filed the story, which posted early on Feb. 11, a Friday, and moved onto the next news item.