How NOT to Manage Your Online Presence

There were some hilarious videos from Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, filmed for Microsoft's UK employees , getting huge play over at YouTube. Not available anymore.

This video has been removed at the request of copyright owner Microsoft because its content was used without permission.

What made the videos great was not only the wit of the film makers, but the fact that Microsoft was allowing playful jabs at itself, even skewering Gates himself a couple of times. Talk on the blogs was "imagine Steve Jobs allowing this sort of fun at his own expense. Never."

Now Microsoft has reverted to its litigious, corporate public image. With those videos they had succeeded in reaching the public in a new way, offering a fresh and funny image that helped to assuage years of bad PR.

It was only a mirage. They are still the same.