[Am-info] Web users turn tables on Microsoft

[Mitch Stone]

You'd think, after the blowback created by the "astroturf" campaign, that 
they'd have learned to be a bit more careful.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2329519.stm

Tuesday, 15 October, 2002, 11:10 GMT 12:10 UK
Web users turn tables on Microsoft

Microsoft has been caught using a fake advert that claimed people were 
switching from Macs to Windows PCs.

The advert debuted on Microsoft's website and supposedly recounted the 
story of a former Apple Mac user who had converted to using Windows.

But investigative work by net users revealed that the supposed 'switcher' 
actually worked for a marketing company employed by Microsoft.

The Microsoft advert was a response to the high-profile campaign run by 
Apple which showcased people who have moved from Windows to a Mac.

Stock taking

The page documenting the switch was entitled 'Confessions of a Mac to PC 
Convert' and debuted on the Windows XP Insider section of Microsoft's site.

It supposedly told the story of a "freelance writer" who had used a Mac 
for eight years but who had now switched to using Windows.

In it the switcher declared: "Windows XP gives me more choices and 
flexibility and better compatibility with the rest of the computing world.
"

Originally news of the article's existence was posted to the popular 
Slashdot website as a joke, but eagle-eyed users of the site found grounds 
to suspect the story behind it.

They noticed that the picture of the woman used to illustrate the story 
was a stock image from the Getty Library and unlikely to be a genuine 
customer.

Investigative work by a reporter from the Associated Press tracked down 
the person behind the story who turned out to be an employee of the Wes 
Rataushk & Associates ad agency.

This was the company that was employed by Microsoft to draw up the adverts 
about switchers.

Microsoft has now pulled the page from its website and said it 'regretted'
  its action.

But in its defence it said that the employee had definitely switched from 
using a Mac to Windows.