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Tablet Evangelist?

I think some people out there assume that I'm a Tablet Evangelist for Microsoft.  After all, I was one of the founding members of the Tablet team, I've written about the Field Trials, I've given some insight into the tablet, and my name starts and is completely contained in the word evangelist.  But all that said, I'm just an ordinary guy blogging in his free time on subjects that are near and dear to my heart.  My blog is not a reflection of Microsoft or it's opinions (and all that legal jazz).  No one at work is asking me to blog, though I have been asked not to blog (and asked why I would do such a thing in general).  My performance review (which is coming up) is in no way tied to me blogging and who knows I might actually get a slightly worse review due to blogging.  I'm not part of the Tablet PC team (though sit close organizationally).  I also mentioned in a previous post that my primary machine isn't even a tablet and I alluded to the fact that I don't necessarily use one on a regularly basis currently.

If that makes me an evangelist, I'd have to say that I'm not a particularly good one or even a model for others out there!  Okay but here's the real deal, several people have complained (or maybe it's just one) about the fact that the Tablet team doesn't have an evangelist or doesn't spend the time to evangelize on-line in forums or blogging etc.  That all the Microsoft blogs related to tablets that are “relevant“ (I guess I'm not relevant) are relatively stale.  That some of the MVPs out there are getting tired of the Tablet gig.  That some of the influential community members are ready to call it quits.  That the community in general doesn't feel much love from the Tablet team.  That the power toys are a joke...  and it goes on and on..

Cards on the table (or maybe tablet), I have no real insight into the overall plans of the Tablet team to address this or any issues, but I'm pretty sure that the overall resources available to address any of these is either non-existence or in high demand for other activities.  So if I told you that there was say “no money“ and “very little time“ available, what would you want of the Tablet team?  I know at least a couple of them read my blog, so why not post your reasonable desires here for building or injecting some more life into the community and maybe someone will do something about it?

I can't and won't promise anything, because as I've said, I'm not an official tablet evangelist (and personally I don't think I'm really one unofficially), so why not start a constructive conversation about “user/community needs” and see where it goes?

Published Saturday, July 17, 2004 7:41 AM by EvanF
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Comments

# re: Tablet Evangelist?

Scoble is a de-facto Tablet evangelist :-)
Saturday, July 17, 2004 8:07 AM by Sriram

# re: Tablet Evangelist?

Actually Scoble's "job" is to be an evangelist. He's reviewed on his overall effectiveness etc..
Saturday, July 17, 2004 8:39 AM by Evan

# re: Tablet Evangelist?

Evangelism<>Evangelist.

I'm subscribed to your blog because I iike the information you present. I find it useful and interesting. It doesn't really matter to me whether you're on the Tablet team or not, as long as the information is useful and accurate.

Seems to me pretty much every person listed on the Tablet PC community at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/communities/tablet.mspx is not employed on the MSFT Tablet PC team. Nothing wrong with that, but I don't see the problem with blogging about something you have an interest in. Who in the world would ask you to stop??
Saturday, July 17, 2004 12:12 PM by Greg

# re: Tablet Evangelist?

Evan, yeah, but not for the Tablet. I'm sorta like you in that regard. Being a Tablet PC evangelist because it rocks.
Saturday, July 17, 2004 6:51 PM by Robert Scoble

# re: Tablet Evangelist?

Robert -- well you are a "paid" evangelist for Longhorn and Tablet is part of Longhorn :-)
Saturday, July 17, 2004 10:01 PM by Evan

# re: Tablet Evangelist?

Greg -- No one was asking me not to blog... just that I should blog about more "relevant" things for Tablet :-)
Saturday, July 17, 2004 10:07 PM by Evan

# re: Tablet Evangelist?

Well word from the guys at the Buzz, near as I can tell as a regular member, is we all respect your Blogs and go just because they interest us. You aren't an evangelist because you talk more about technology than Tablet PC's.

For all your posts on field trials, while you loved the Tablet PC, you also loved the process of designing it.

So that's interesting reading. Most of us don't have jobs that would let us do something like that.
Monday, July 19, 2004 11:56 AM by David Beoulve

# re: Tablet Evangelist?

I think Loren said it best... starting a blog would be a good start.
Monday, July 19, 2004 2:24 PM by Tim Marman

# re: Tablet Evangelist?

I was thinking of making this a new entry... but for the time being, I think the suggestion of "blogging" is simplistic. It doesn't address who to blog for, what type of content should be blogged, what the goal of the blog would be etc. Sure sharing information is great, giving insights is fine :-) but when the rubber hits the road, you want to know where you're going.
Monday, July 19, 2004 4:01 PM by Evan

# re: Tablet Evangelist?

I'd like to take a stab at answering the what, why, and who.

First, if it were completely planned then it wouldn't be a blog. It would be a book or campaign unto itself. A blog provides a continual stream of current information to a target audience and the value of the blog will exceed the effort.

The idea is to attract potential partners, create a basis for trust that the product is on track or ease people into the idea of change in a product, keep partners aware of changes they need to react / plan for, inspire people to develop / create / support products using Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.

Yes, it wouldn't be communication if you didn't receive feedback. Sure, it will be from a biased audience, but that doesn't decrease the value. (Hopefully, something will be done with that information and it isn't just ignored.) Enjoy the conversation - you never know what you may learn.

There is plenty of room for discussion about focused markets as well as consumer examples. If someone wants to write about how Tablet PCs have impacted healthcare, education, distribution, sales automation, adaptive aids, etc. they can. The key is to provide the answer that people are doing something with Tablet PCs today.

Evan, you've come up with your own style of telling stories. Other people will come up with their own too. Someone else may decide to link to current events, articles and press releases or explore several styles.

Don't overthink it. Just do it.
Monday, July 19, 2004 10:16 PM by Lora

# re: Tablet Evangelist?

Evan, I was a Tablet PC evangelist before I was getting paid for it. Long before, in fact.
Monday, July 19, 2004 10:25 PM by Robert Scoble

# End the Requests for help

I'm not in the loop, not an evangelist, not an MVP, not even loyal to Microsoft. Heck, I've used Linux since 1995 but I'm attracted to the Tablet PC. It is a fantastic computer. The SP2 is nice.

However, I am amazed at the exclusitivity of your community and the general lack of discourse and discussion. It seems Some people just tell you guys what you want to hear. They are afraid of you and I doubt they are being honest. So, expand your horizons and your reach because you MS guys need new blood and a fresh perspective. You need some 'No Guys' on your team.

Here is a shocker. Take what you believe and turn it upside down. Let me help twist an idea or message that seems constant in the blogs and talks of the past 10 months. As painful as it may be to read, don't get all worried about these next few paragraphs. Instead, digest it and gain some nourishment from it. Toss out the waste. Just think about it and use it as a means to generate more ideas.

****** Random thoughts *****
To be blunt, some people laugh at the constant requests for help. Who are you kidding? Microsoft has billions. It doesn't play well with some people and you need another tactic, a positive message. You look weak. Plus, you don't need an evangelist. You need a person to lead your efforts because if you had a leader then you wouldn't he asking the same questions for 2 years!

Let's expand this and really get some heat going. Why doesn't everyone at MS use a Tablet PC? What message does that send? Maybe no one there believes in it. This idea is fed more when the request for help is seen constantly. If that isn't the case then prove it in action and not words.

One more twist, if you are really helpless then Microsoft is in deep trouble.

Business is really quite easy. Get product into the market. Kill the whining and talk to the manufacturers. Give them incentives. Make deals. Push the product by bundling deals. You figure it out. It is your job. If you can't do the job then quit.

*****

I know that seems hard to face but it is vital to a viable business to consider all angles. Move forward. Take these words and twist them. Work with them to develop a positive message. Advertise Your Weakness as if it is a Strength. Now go get 'em tiger.

Enough Said.
Monday, July 19, 2004 11:44 PM by Layne

# Enough is enough or the world isn't enough?

Tuesday, July 20, 2004 2:33 PM by Evan's Weblog of Tech and Life

# Enough is enough or the world isn't enough?

Tuesday, July 20, 2004 2:52 PM by Evan's Weblog of Tech and Life

# re: Tablet Evangelist?

I understand Evan's problem. I have been associated closely with microsoft and microsoft research in the past, and have done a lot of work with tablets as well. I currently work for another software company.
Evan is facing a problem that a team member at almost every software company faces. Where I work now, resources are scarce because we are trying to do so much with so little. Microsoft has the same problem. Doesn't matter if there are billions in the bank, bigger fish have bigger problems.
Now, to find an approach for solving the problem.
I was a super hardcore tablet evangelist two years back. I had started a tablet PC software company (stemming from research we did at school), convinced at least six CIOs of various schools (graduate, MBA schools) to look at the tablet, educated them on the advantages etc etc. I toted my tablet around like it were a ferrari and demoed it to all and sundry. Our campus computer store folks still send me IMs saying they miss me - I was their star volunteer sales guy.

So here is the first recommendation: Treat your external tablet superstars well. They don't ask much of you. Folks like Layne or Loren or Lora.. they care about the Tablet a lot and spend a lot of time on trying to help you. Take their help.. make it worth their while. Find more people like them - foster them. Microsoft used to have an awesome student consultant program (which apparently has now degenerated into something much more narrow) that should give you some hints on how "peer hero"s help the cause.
Here is the second recommendation: Take advantage of your ecosystem. Find people and groups in the company that add "evangelical" value to the Tablet. Use other things in the company to make Tablet sexier. Demo "Wallop" on the tablet. Make it an exclusive. The few times that BillG had a tablet around when he was demoing something else - helped boost the profile of the Tablet considerably. Do more of that. Work with MSR and Kevin, ehome, work with Xbox somehow, work with all the cool and creative teams to create interesting connections between the tablet and these other technologies. That's why this is both harder and easier. When you look at it from the shoes of a PGM who is trying to meet deadlines it is harder. When you look at it from Scoble's shoes its easier. Get Scoble to help you with this - he is darn good at connecting dots. I would love to be involved somehow - out of love for the Tablet. I know Lora and others will too.
Tuesday, July 20, 2004 12:46 PM by Vikram

# Tablet, anybody?

Sunday, November 21, 2004 7:21 AM by Matthew Cosier's Blog

# Evan s Weblog of Tech and Life Tablet Evangelist | Paid Surveys

PingBack from http://paidsurveyshub.info/story.php?title=evan-s-weblog-of-tech-and-life-tablet-evangelist

Friday, May 29, 2009 3:10 PM by Evan s Weblog of Tech and Life Tablet Evangelist | Paid Surveys
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