Full Disclosure: I work for Microsoft and enjoy my job. And this blog post is my opinion, not Microsoft’s.

This past week ended up being one of the most intense, yet rewarding, weeks of my career. For the past three weeks, I put my day job mostly on hold and took on the challenge of leading a team to put together a free virtual training event for Windows Phone 7 developers. We had developers in the thousands participating in four 3-hour sessions that covered the ins and outs of developing applications and games for Windows Phone 7.

(FYI- If you’re a developer and missed it, don’t worry, the class resource page with all course materials and demos is open to all, plus recordings of the event are coming soon. Also, see below for some behind-the-scenes pictures from the studio we used to broadcast/film.)

For better or for worse, it seems that tech blogs, Wall Street, and much of my family are using the success of the “smartphone” as the current most important defining characteristic of how a given tech company is doing. Sure, Microsoft had record earnings and sold 175 million copies of Windows 7 in nine months. And sure, Xbox 360 + Xbox Live + the upcoming Kinect is the best thing to have happened to gaming in the past 10 years (speaking as a die-hard PC gamer turned console convert).

I could go on and mention several other billion dollar businesses Microsoft has built over the years, but they’re the unsexy, enterprise type that tend to bore blog readers. The real question on everyone’s mind: how will Microsoft play in the smartphone market? Well now that there’s tons of coverage on that, we’re all in wait-and-see mode. I, for one, have loved what I’ve played with and am also very encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive response we’ve gotten from developers who took our training.

So while Wall Street yawns, I continue to use a more holistic approach to measuring the success of a tech company. Not least of which starts with it being a great place to work!

Thanks to Rob Miles and Elese Moran for the pictures.

Let’s face it: we all love making comparisons. It’s an easy way to simplify a point. The problem, though, lies in the implicit assumptions and interpretations that go along with a comparison. Meaning, as soon as you make your comparison, it’s as if you’re holding all else equal while at the same time elevating your comparison to a higher level of credibility as compared to any of the unspoken alternative comparisons involving the two things you’re comparing.

And so it happened today with a post over at TechCrunch entitled “Is Google at Risk of Becoming the Next Microsoft?” Guest author Peter Sims makes some interesting commentary about Google (after sharing an intriguing story) but then sidetracks an otherwise good read by trying to simplify his point via a comparison of Google to Microsoft (see title above). As a result, that’s probably all this article is going to be remembered for.

Ironically, this comparison is coming from a tech blog that found it necessary to discuss Apple passing Microsoft in market valuation in three separate blog posts. Interesting. Perhaps someone should remind Sims that Google needs to come up with $70+ billion of market worth before it can experience the dreadful risk of becoming like Microsoft.

Sarcastic simplified comparison rebuttal aside, here’s my real point (quoting myself with emphasis added, a comment I left on the post at TechCrunch after Sims defended his comparison based on Microsoft’s 10 years of flat stock performance):

This whole title/question is based on just one angle and flawed as a result: it’s only the shareholder’s perspective. Why not link to MSFT profits or revenues over the past 10 years? Why not link to the growth of computers in households over the last 10 years? Oh right, because we’re talking about success as defined by stock market investors… Is that really the best measurement? For them, maybe, but for the rest of us who don’t actually short or buy millions of shares of certain stocks… not so much.

Bottom line: we need a more holistic measurement when comparing success of companies like this.

Oh, and you forgot to mention (like most do) Microsoft’s not-so-sexy billion dollar businesses in Server, Sharepoint, etc. when listing Microsoft’s “struggles” over the years.

Don’t get me wrong, market valuation, stock performance, and other financial metrics projecting the future have their place in defining success of a company. But what else should be considered? In my comment, I suggest revenue and profit trends (which, in theory, are supposedly accounted for in stock price). But that’s still financial-only thinking.

What about cultural contribution? Innovation? Research? Economic impact? Job creation? Employee satisfaction? Societal improvements? Each of these is difficult to measure for comparison sake (i.e., a bit of an apples to oranges issue both in how we define the parameters for each metric and in how we weigh each metric against the others) but most are still very relevant.

Microsoft, Google, Apple, plus plenty of others have done much for the world here. But saying it that way is bland and boring. We need a way to compare! (Or do we?)

And what about philanthropy? Microsoft’s clearly the winner on this metric. There’s the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation plus the recent news of co-founder Paul Allen giving most his money to charity. None of that would be possible without Microsoft. I’m sure carbon foot print is something else to throw into the success metric mix for good measure.

Even then, I know I’m missing plenty of other good metrics in my quick-and-dirty attempt to redefine how we measure success. But I’m a bit tired of finance being the de facto metric for making company comparisons. Does anyone (with power and influence, i.e., not me) want to take a stab at coming up with a better metric? Or are we stuck, for better or for worse, with financiers ruling the day once again?

*Update* Uh, so for some reason, the TechCrunch post has been taken down (at least for now, as I write this). I’m not sure why. I’m glad I captured my comment (quoted above) before its disappearance with the post!

*Update 2* And now the TechCrunch post is back.

*Update 3* TechCrunch now has a new guest post entitled “The Many Bottom Lines of Businesses” which addresses some of the same issues I talk about above.

Today the Windows Phone team announced the availability of the Windows Phone Developer Tools Beta. I wanted to highlight a portion of the announcement that I’ve been working on personally. Microsoft really wants to show you (Mr. Phone App Developer) why Windows Phone 7 is the hotness. So that’s why we’ve put together the following free training (see below).

I’m very excited about this; it’s one of the coolest things I’ve been involved in at Microsoft! If you have any questions or want more details, leave me a comment.

Get Trained for FREE – Windows Phone 7 Jump Start

Windows Phone 7 JumpStart is a FREE virtual live class for developers interested in developing applications and games for Windows Phone 7. The course is organized into four virtual instructor-led sessions that are of 3-hour duration. They will be presented by forthcoming MS Press authors and MVP’s, Andy Wigley and Rob Miles. It will provide developers a jump start for developing Windows Phone 7 applications. The labs will be completed offline with office hours access to the instructors.

The dates for these course sessions are:

• July 20 – 8am (PST): Session One: Getting Started with Microsoft Windows Phone and Silverlight
• July 20 – 1pm (PST): Session Two: Programming Game Applications with XNA
• July 22 – 8am (PST): Session Three:  Programming Applications with Silverlight
• July 22 – 1pm (PST): Session Four:  Review and Wrap Up

Space is limited, so go register for the course now!

*Update* Electronista has a good (and concise) take on the latest news while Nick Eaton points out that Windows Phone 7 devices will be available on all four major U.S. wireless carriers later this year.

How do you like my title? It came from a Wall Street Journal article entitled “Microsoft Plans Shake Up” which Henry Blodget of Silicon Alley Insider linked to, added an intro that added nothing new, and then added quite the Google-bait headline of “Microsoft Shaking Up Entertainment Group In Desperate Attempt To Catch Apple And Google”.

Now, full disclosure, I work for Microsoft but not in this division. And I have nothing to do with whatever this story is about. It seems like an interesting scoop for the WSJ, but Blodget’s title is tricking Techmeme into thinking it should be the leader story. So as a fellow blogger, I thought I’d one up Mr. Blodget with an equally exciting title of my own and a piece of advice:

As the New York Time reminded us recently, bloggers love using the embellished title technique. But you gotta pick one or the other. Either leave out the embellishment and be an echo chamber OR embellish and add something substantial. But don’t embellish and say nothing. There’s a word for that: spam.

*Update* I contacted Henry Blodget to let him know my opinion on this. He responded quickly and let me know that he dropped the word “desperate” from his title. Kudos. I’ve done the same.

*Update 2* TechFlash has the latest on the “shake up” (via Techmeme).

So every once in a while, I like to blog about what I’m doing at work (especially if I’m excited about it!). Today, we’re announcing the release of “OneNote Trainer Packs.” Read on below if you’re interested in a glimpse in my day-to-day at Microsoft Learning.

Eighteen months ago, Microsoft Learning released beta OneNote Trainer Packs for 7 courses as part of an effort to test if consolidating Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) prep materials was a worthy endeavor. The answer came back from MCTs: yes, if done thoroughly. So that’s what we did.

It’s my pleasure to announce that Microsoft Learning is releasing OneNote Trainer Packs (aka OTPs, because we love acronyms) for all 32 available “KonaH” (or “Nextgen”) Microsoft Official Courses (MOC). We’ve improved on the original concept and are providing MCTs a single location for the most relevant content needed to prepare for a MOC class. OTPs include the following content for each course on each page in the OTP (and in this order):

1) Slides
2) Instructor Notes
3) Book Content
4) Companion CD Content

Also included for each module are the Lab Answer Keys (LAKs). OTPs, of course, require OneNote to run. Luckily, OneNote is available as a free download for all MCTs (as part of the MCT program) via the included TechNet Plus subscription. Currently 20 OTPs are available for immediate download from the MCT Download Center: 2778A, 6215A, 6231A, 2262BK, 6232A, 6234A, 6235A, 6214A, 6367A, 6424A, 6461A, 6462A, 6420A, 6421A, 6446A, 6463A, 6427A, 6445A, 6451A, 6434A. The remaining 12 (6425B, 6236A, 6292A, 10135A, 6426B, 6294A, 6368A, 6460A, 6464A, 6416C, 6419A, 6430B) will be available in mid-June.

Moving forward, Microsoft Learning intends to release a OneNote Trainer Pack for each new course released (the OTP would come out soon after the course itself is released). We hope this will make the life of our trainers at least a little easier. For more information, you can check out the on demand virtual summit session entitled “The Future of MOC” during which I give a demo of OneNote Trainer Packs in action (and talk about some other exciting stuff). Otherwise, if you are an MCT, check out the OneNote Trainer Packs for yourself on the MCT Download Center.

The Bing team today unveiled turn-by-turn directions for Windows Phones. Now for those that know me, you may know that I currently am using an Android phone (yeah, yeah, I work for Microsoft and use an Android phone; it happens). And one of the reasons specifically was for the free GPS app available via Google.

Having a phone with this kind of app makes my life less complicated, as it removes one more gadget from my life that I’d just as soon not have separately. But lately my Android phone has felt sluggish (it’s a G1), and with this announcement, I think it’s safe to say that I’m looking at getting myself a nice new Windows Phone 7 this holiday season. Anyone else making a major phone change soon?

About three months ago, Microsoft Learning (where I work) released Microsoft Official Courses digitally for the first time (DRM-free, I might add). I can say that adoption of the digital versions of these courses has exceeded our expectations (even if it’s still too early to see where this is going exactly).

Coincidentally, the tech world has seemed especially excited about digital content these past three months (just check out my delicious feed specific to e-books). With dozens of new e-reader devices, new e-reader software, new content deals, Amazon Kindle sales records, etc. etc., are we gearing up for a year where digital books really take off?

It seems that way even if, in my experience, the most vocal on this topic have tended to be either the most resistant to it or the early adopters. I’m not sure where the average consumer stands. Whatever the case, it’s a great ride watching this play out.

As for Microsoft Learning, see this news for the latest enhancements we just added to our digital content. If you have more to say on the topic of going digital (especially in the IT training world), feel free to leave a comment. Also, check out this week’s episode of Practically Ideal (also on iTunes) where Logan and I discuss e-books (and what they mean for consumers) in detail.

Logan and I are at it again with another episode of our new podcast: Practically Ideal (get episode 2 here, right-click and select “Save Link As…”). This week we’re discussing progressivism (general Democrat views) vs. conservatism (general Republican views) and figuring out if/where we fit in.

We also talk about Google’s Thanksgiving present of turn-by-turn GPS directions available on all their phones as well Microsoft Bing’s latest and greatest features just released. And lastly, Logan and I discuss which movies we plan to see this holiday season. Enjoy, and thanks for listening!

*Update* Practically Ideal is now on iTunes.

My friend Logan Beaux decided to start a podcast (get it here) and invited me to be part of the project as a regular cohost. For whatever reason, I’ve never done the podcasting thing (till now). And lately I’ve been thinking that Twitter/Facebook has replaced my need to blog like I used to.

But now having participated in a podcast, I can say (perhaps naively) that I’ve been missing out on a decent form of expression. We’ve only recorded one show, but I’m already feeling pretty excited about doing this new thing more. New for me, that is, I think I’m only five years late to the party?

Anyway, the podcast is called Practically Ideal. Logan mentions you can tell it’s our first try (which may be true), but I have to give him props for some pretty good production value. While I think what he’s trying to accomplish is fairly ambitious, I’m glad he (we) is (are) doing it.

The format used includes a discussion on the latest in politics/economics, followed by a discussion on the latest in tech, and wraps up with a nice dose of pop culture. In this episode we discuss libertarianism, “climategate”, Windows 7, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, the Mad Men season finale, and other TV shows we’re watching. And we do this all in about 50 minutes.

The truth is, Logan and I are fairly interested in each of the broad subject categories but haven’t found a show/podcast that addresses them all together in a condensed package of sorts. So he decided it was a good time to start what we’ve never found. I wonder, though, if it’s too much for one show?

It’s really 3 or 4 mini-shows with the same personalities behind each segment. In fact, if technology would allow more easily, I wish there was an easy way to present the podcast with bookmarks of sorts so you could skip to only those topics that interested you. Then again, I think the show works best when all together. But of course I would say that…

Anyway, enough of my take. Give it a listen, and let me know what you think. You can download it here (Right-click and select “Save Link As…”), and we’ll soon have it as something you can subscribe to on iTunes.

*Update* Practically Ideal is now on iTunes.

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve blogged. Facebook/Twitter have sort of replaced much of my blogging needs, but that’s a conversation for another day. The real excuse for not blogging that I wanted to point out today is what’s kept me busy at work. I work for Microsoft Learning as a product manager and wanted to share the latest news here:

It is my pleasure to announce that Microsoft has released 71 courses digitally. These are some of the most popular Microsoft Official Courses, giving you the same learning materials for use with instructor-led training on Microsoft technologies, only now in digital form.

The digital version of each course comes with three files:

1. The main course file including lab instructions and lab answer keys (the equivalent of the printed book)
2. *New* The lab manual file (just the lab instructions and lab answer keys, which is also included in the main course file)
3. The CD image file (an ISO image copy of the CD that comes in the printed book)

Digital versions of these courses are offered exclusively through Certified Partners for Learning Solutions (CPLSs) and are currently available in North America, Western Europe, European Union accession countries, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore.

What are some of the benefits of going digital?

These courses are available for last minute orders, do not require shipping and handling fees, eliminate the need for inventory on hand, enable easier distance learning options, includes full text search, allow for new separate lab manual for easy access, reduce waste and paper needs, and allow new courses to be made available digitally earlier than printed. Check out the FAQ for more details and a listing of the 71 courses.

If you are a CPLS, login to the Courseware Library to get immediate access. If you are a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), visit the MCT Download Center for new materials available for these 71 courses. And last, but not least, if you are someone interested in taking one of these courses, check out this nifty class locator tool.

For regular readers, this announcement is what I was talking about last week when a coworker (who shall remain nameless, *cough* Tjeerd *cough*) couldn’t help but get early information and post a video of me discussing some of these details.