Microsoft shutterbugs shoot for a cause
Over the years, Microsoft employees have done a lot of things to raise money for the company's annual giving campaign. There have been cell phone tossing contests, executive dunkings, and even an auction to get one's name in an Xbox game.
This year, though, a group of photographers from across the company has come together to produce a fine-art book. Their creation, "Photographers@Microsoft 2009," is available from Blurb.com.
More than 900 photos were submitted for the book, and 157 were chosen. We put a couple dozen in our photo gallery, but the photos are all amazing.
The book is being sold to both those inside Microsoft and the general public. The creators all donated their work, with the book selling for $25 over the cost of printing, with all profits going to the United Way.
Initially, the group hoped to raise $10,000 by selling 200 of the books. However, they reached that goal on the second day of the campaign, which runs for several more weeks.
Microsoft also donates money for each hour employees put into volunteering, contributing $17 an hour for each hour their workers volunteer, up to a total of $12,000 per employee per year.
Overall, Microsoft and its workers raised more than $87.7 million last year. This year, the Softies are hoping to top that, with events including a "rock, paper, scissors" competition, a poker tournament, and an online auction (built on Windows Azure, of course) where employees can bid on everything from lunch with a top executive, to the loan of an executive's car, and even coveted parking spaces.
I know, for a fact that MBD boss Stephen Elop has his eye on one of the parking spots under Building 36, although he assures me that out-bidding him is not a career-limiting move.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina. 
Show us your true pride in your hatred of all things Microsoft and post!
Yeah, you might think I say this in jest, but there will no doubt be someone posting something shortly negative about this, trying to blame Microsoft for something unrelated, or just turn it into a MSFT bash session.
The proof will be if people keep this positive since the story is really about helping out a good charity with profits from a book sale of photos- which based on the samples here are actually pretty darn good.
After selling so many iPhone/iPod applications, they didn't even make that much cash, so how will they donate? Tougher times are ahead for apple--their worst nightmare--Windows 7 is hitting retail stores on oct. 22. So they gotta keep some cash to save themselves!!
The world is bigger than Microsoft. Lift your head up and look around, would you please? Your blog is "Beyond binary". Let me give you some story ideas:
Processors and storage are million times more than they were 27 years ago (Moore's law), but humans type slower, not faster, than they did then. What have we gained and what have we lost?
Magnetic storage is a story that's ready to be written as a history that has a beginning and an end. Can you sum it up in a compelling way?
The future is vast, and partly unimaginable. But we do know some parts of it. What are the social impacts of Intel's planned 100Gbps optical device attach technology to be delivered in the next decade. Remember that a good story uses technology as a prop. The storyteller who can convert technology into a character is very rare, and you're not one of them.
Thanks for listening.
Symbolset
Agreed. I think it was a nice story, and it shows that this company is not just about software. I'm sure that other companies do the same.
- by jessiethe3rd October 10, 2009 2:52 AM PDT
- Good story... it's nice to show the other side of the company.
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