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As some may know there has been some discussion over at the greenbutton in regards to a letter sent out to some members by Microsoft.
There were all sorts of ideas floating around about the contents of said letter.
Well it has become apparent that it was regarding Microsoft purchasing the website.
Here is Chris Lanier's post on the subject taken from his blog.
"Today is a big day for the Media Center community, and as speculated upon way too much The Green Button has become an official Microsoft web property!
So what does this mean? A few things, starting with increased Microsoft interaction that nearly everyone told us was so important. When Jessica Zahn left to join the Zune team, she collectively broke the hearts of all TGB members who lost the opportunity to get direct Microsoft feedback, but fear not increased Microsoft presence will come with the acquisition of The Green Button.
Next up on the list, ads are gone! Google AdWords and all pop-up text ads are gone (Plug: advertisers looking to target the Media Center community should consider advertising here), so everyone can enjoy the perks of a community built on members and not non-Media Center related pop-ups.
Other changes will be coming, but as the official announcement states Microsoft is not looking to shut down or limit your freedom of speech on The Green Button. I will still be a moderator as will Mike and the rest of the gang, so nothing will change in your ability to criticize Microsoft for poor decisions and have your voice heard (and as always, attacks directed at members or Microsoft employees will not be allowed).
Please let me know what you think of the change, but I think the increased funding and potential for direct communication will benefit all!"
I think this is a good day for all of us media center users, hopefully we will have some of the Microsoft guys over there helping out where they can.
I'm finding it hard to get my head around what this means for this community. On the one hand we probably would go close to being the number one independant Media Center community as a result and hopefully that will spin off into increased advertising revenue. On the other hand it certainly means that members here might be inclined to increase their current levels of participation over at TGB so as to be heard by Microsoft on issues specific to our region. An interesting development I must say and it also says something of Microsoft't inability to make their own user forums/blogs attractive.
Its good that Microsoft is taking more interest in the MCE community, many problems we come across are the same over all regions, so more involvement is only better for us.
Being patriotic i love this .au community .. but now MS owns TGB .. after so so many years - maybe ill get an account?
I always thought (right or wrong) that anything posted over there of note would be posted here anyway.
For the most part that is quite true. Plenty of members here have accounts over at TGB and much of what gets posted there also gets posted or linked here and vice-versa. It will be interesting to see just how much interaction there really is with actual Microsoft Devs after this announcement. One can't help but think if they are good to their word then there may be some additional benefit in dual membership.
I think this is great news for TGB, but at the same time I don't think it will have any adverse affect on us down here.
For many years I've had dual accounts, and on occasion I've posted things over at TGB (usually in response to an existing thread); however the .au site is always my first port of call.
Why? We don't have CableCard, we don't have Internet TV or Sports add-ins (by default), we don't have an official MS EPG...etc.
In addition, you'll find it hard to find someone over there who can help you with your DNTV Live card, or a DVB-T related problem, or why you can't pickup 7HD but you can get 9HD & 10HD etc...
So a lot of the discussion over there simply isn't relevant to us.
The advantages (to an Australian user) of a local forum are unparalleled; and the fact that our collective knowledge is at least on par, and often better than any other community site is a tribute to all of the members here.
i've posted a few times at TGB and always found this community more helpful.
Im not sure if Microsoft buying TGB is a good thing or bad thing.
They didn't need to buy it to have the Microsoft Team go there to find problems and get feedback, etc.
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We could suspend disbelief for a moment and come to the conclusion that Microsoft bought it out of the goodness of its heart as an altruistic way to support the community that has supported them so well.
/cynicism back on
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We could suspend disbelief for a moment and come to the conclusion that Microsoft bought it out of the goodness of its heart as an altruistic way to support the community that has supported them so well.
/cynicism back on
I just look at and think regardless of the reason they bought it, having one area with M$ input and another independent focused a lot more on Oz (but of course helpful to all) will be a fantastic balance.
If M$ really wanted to just support the community a donation / sponsorship would be more appropriate I think. Ownership implies control regardless of how you spin it.
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Too many toys is still not enough.
I just look at and think regardless of the reason they bought it, having one area with M$ input and another independent focused a lot more on Oz (but of course helpful to all) will be a fantastic balance.
If M$ really wanted to just support the community a donation / sponsorship would be more appropriate I think. Ownership implies control regardless of how you spin it.
Doh... One suspects there might be some nerves jangling at that comment!
