I’ve been at Microsoft a long time, and worked in a variety of businesses from Windows to Online and everything in between.  I know what it’s like to pitch the winning story vs the underdog story. And whether you are on top with market share (Windows) or fighting your way towards to middle (Bing), the sweet spot is all a matter of perspective.   This came to light for me again this week, while working on some of the details...
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As employees at Microsoft, we take pride in our giving campaigns each year. As a parent and ms employee, I wanted to more than just give money, which is always nice and easier, but how is this teaching our children? So, my partner and I started to do some research in what we can start planning for the future of giving and I came across several sites which I mention below. Then as I continue to do my research I came across the word: Voluntourism...
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Community:  The notion of community has changed dramatically through social media, allowing groups to operate almost like independent groups, except that these groups have moved beyond traditional demographics and affiliations.  Their notion of community is increasingly diverse, centering on non-traditional aspects of identity and affiliation (e.g., interests or expertise).  As a result, these groups experience a wide range of...
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Each Bing user has their own reasons for loving Bing.  I love the design – the new picture on the home page every day, the interactive feel.  Bing is a marriage of art and science or design and development.  We have talented engineers writing elegant code and we have gifted designers driving the human interface.  We are thinking a lot about how are users interact with Bing and how to make that the best experience. ...
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In the battle for Search market share, a small war was being waged over at local newspaper “The Stranger” when local  columnist David Schmader reported that due to Microsoft’s 100K donation to approve Washington’s Referendum 71, he was switching from Search giant Google to rival Bing. And as a continuing show of support for the largest single donation to the Ref. 71 cause, other readers backed the grassroots movement...
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I’ve heard it from my friends and former colleagues alike, “Gosh, I’d love to work at Microsoft, but I don’t want to drive to Redmond every day…” As a veteran of the Seattle technology scene, I can totally understand the Eastsideaphobia that comes from staring across the bridge.   For anyone who views Redmond as a deal breaker, it’s my duty to tell you that the majority of the Bing product groups...
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I always tell candidates I work with Bing. I tell them for two reasons: One, I am usually talking to them about a career with Bing and Two: I want to hear their feedback on Bing.  The conversations usually goes something like this:   Me: “I am Jamie Morgan and I recruit for Bing” Candidate: “Ah, yes Bing, very cool” Me: “What do you think of Bing, are you using it?”   This is where the...
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A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower when the doorbell rings. After a few seconds of arguing over which one should go and answer the doorbell, the wife gives up, quickly wraps herself up in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Dave the next door neighbor. Before she says a word, Dave says, “I’ll give you $800 to drop that towel that you have on&...
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Anonymity.  Social media allows a certain amount of anonymity, which can act as a powerful buffer against “groupthink.”  An example of this could be found in a working group that uses an online meeting system that allows users to contribute their thoughts anonymously.  In some cases, such a system increases the truthfulness of the feedback received and prevents “personalities” from controlling the flow of the...
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I had the fortunate experience of chatting with two female Bing engineering employees this week. We discussed diversity, specifically female diversity, in engineering organizations.  They shared their thoughts on the topic which included references to their specific experiences. I would tell you a little about each employee but since I did not get permission to post their comments I will keep them anonymous. Let me refer to them as Leslie and...
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