Re: Microsoft have got to make PC users aware of the problem

From: Keith MacDonald (nospam_at_parasites.com)
Date: 01/29/04 

Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2004 14:36:19 -0000

My question "how effective has it been so far?", was in the context that
this is not a new issue. The impact on my mail server by Sobif.F, last
September, was far worse, but I learned lessons from that, and passed them
on to anyone who would listen. I have read reports that MyDoom/Novarg is
the worst ever (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/56/35174.html).
Presumably word of mouth has been operating in the interim, but clearly not
to any great effect.

Microsoft have done a wonderful job of making computing available to the
masses, by simplifying all aspects of its use. A huge industry has grown on
the back of their efforts, and a lot of money made, for which they deserve
many thanks. However, some of their simplifications are open to abuse, with
the consequences that anyone browsing this news group is all too aware of.
So, now we have a world full of PC users who can just about manage to "do
e-mail" or "do typing", but have a life, so don't care how these things
work. In an ideal world, they shouldn't need to either, but it turns out
that they are a liability on the rest of us, for reasons not of their
making. Home users don't upgrade their PCs on a 2-3 year cycle, so it will
be a long time before Microsoft's new philosophy has any effect on them.
They need to be targeted with just enough information to enable them to
protect their PCs.

My contention is that the quickest way to do that is with an advertising
campaign, because the people in the advertising industry know precisely how
to target particular audiences. Here in the UK, it would probably be done
with humour, but appropriate techniques could be applied in each country.
This would obviously be expensive - which is why I asked Microsoft to fund
it, when I started this thread.

Keith MacDonald

"Veronica Loell" <lista@nakawe.se> wrote in message
news:eyaRiGm5DHA.3308@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
> Keith MacDonald wrote / skrev:
>
> > I've nothing against word of mouth, in principle, but how effective has
it
> > been so far? Something has got to start the ball rolling, so why not an
> > advertising campaign?
>
> How many people have you personally informed about this sort of issue? I
> am not promoting chain-mail here but rather person to person
> information. If every regular on this board informed 5 people each, that
> might start the ball rolling don't you think?
>
> And as I said, I assume that you are interested in reaching people not
> only in the country where you live? You have to realise that the culture
> in different countries are different and that something that might work
> in your culture most certainly would not work in many other cultures.
>
> I think however that the "word of mouth" method is something that would
> actually work everywhere. Someone you know and trust telling you
> something is bound to have more effect than some ad sponsored by someone
> that wants all of your money?
>
> - Veronica Loell
>

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