I Miss “micronews”
on 03.30.06, 08:15pm in microsoft • comments (3)
Every Friday (well, Thursday night), the "micronews" (the weekly internal Microsoft newsletter) is delivered to my email inbox. Lately, I follow the same routine - after 15 seconds of glancing over the headlines, it makes a prompt exit to my "Deleted Items" folder.
Of course, this wasn’t always the case. Years ago, every Friday at lunchtime I would stop by my mailbox and pick up the paper copy of micronews and read it cover to cover. It was something of a ritual - the micronews was just cool. This all ended sometime in late 2004, where by some cost cutting measure (and don’t get me wrong, I do believe it probably saved tons of money), micronews became an "intranet" only publication. So it goes.
I’m not sure if it was just the tactile feedback from reading something "physical" instead of electronic, or just that it was a cool "company only" newsletter, but something just didn’t translate over, and it just lost its appeal when it converted to the electrons only edition.
Not sure why I’m babbling on about it, but when the latest edition just arrived, it made me long for the old-fashioned print version. Oh well.
Tommy Williams (March 31, 2006 @ 6:41 am)
I agree, Steve. I do click through to the “Bug Bash” cartoon but the online version just isn’t as nice. I know that we can print it out ourselves if we want, but that really seems like waste.
I wish I could do a better job describing what this difference is. The articles are the same, it’s just the format.
Randy (March 31, 2006 @ 9:42 am)
I’m with Tommy: it’s a good reminder that there’s a new Bug Bash to read.
I think I’ve still got my first one somewhere, tho…
Maurice (April 3, 2006 @ 6:27 pm)
Likewise. I loved the print version. Not only did the change to electronic format hurt readership, so did the general change in content. It’s all fluffy PR press now. I stopped reading the Micronews years ago… I guess that is saving company money, too.