When You Try and Do the Right Thing and a Big Co Stuffs Procedure Down your Throat-- and its About Child Porn
This is long but its important.
I left it as one big article rather than a story because it is important.
Guess what? I found what looks to be Child Porn on Microsoft's site (MSN Communities) and they stuff procedure down my throat. And that just sucks. This is where you have to hate BigCo's. They don't realize it when things are important and don't know what to do. Please understand something up front. I'm not outraged that I found child porn online. Its disgusting and horrify but it happens. I am horrified at how Microsoft employees handled it. That is the point of this essay. It is about how BigCo's just don't get it.
If you knew me for real, you'd know that I'm about the most liberal person in the universe. Not much bothers me. Porn doesn't bother me (email me and ask how I found this, it's funny). Child porn horrifies me but it is all over the net. However, when someone actually takes the time to do the responsible thing and point this out to you and you are one of the biggest ISPs around, your response should be simple: "Thanks. We'll get on it right away". Instead I had procedure stuffed down my throat after I took the time to be absolutely positive that this went to a real live person at Microsoft. And that's just wrong.
Here's what happened. I was on MSN communities this morning doing some research and I found a community named "Pre Teen and Teen Girls in Nylons and Lingerie". I immediately emailed it to the webmaster as you see below:
EMAIL 1:
Hi,
I didn't bother to look but I find this community at MSN disgusting in concept alone:
Scott
J. Scott Johnson
Physical
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
80 Spring Road
Nahant, MA 01908
Phone:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
781 592 0262 - home
617 970 4719 - cell
Virtual:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
sjohnson@fuzzygroup.com
Site: http://www.fuzzygroup.com/
Blog: http://radio.weblogs.com/0103807/
Yahoo IM: fuzzygroup
AOL IM: fuzzygroup
END EMAIL 1
Of course these came back to me. One was bounced since I wasn't a "member of the community" and the other said this:
START EMAIL 2:
Thank you for your e-mail message to MSN webmaster. We would like to assist you with your question and request you go to the appropriate link below for the product you are inquiring about. The link will take you directly to that product’s online help with instructions on how you may contact us directly. This will provide you the timeliest response.
For MSN Internet Access, go to http://supportservices.msn.com/us/help.asp.
For Hotmail, go to http://www.hotmail.com, then click “Help” on the upper middle part of your screen.
For MSN Messenger, go to http://messenger.microsoft.com, select the applicable Messenger client on the left navigation bar, then click "Help."
For MSN Gaming Zone, go to http://support.microsoft.com/directory/content.asp?ID=FH;EN-US;gmz.
For MSN MoneyCentral, go to http://support.microsoft.com/directory/content.asp?ID=FH;EN-US;mnyc&SD=GN&FR=0&LN=EN-US.
For Microsoft Passport, go to http://www.passport.com/Consumer/ConsumerQA.asp?lc=1033.
For Microsoft software applications such as Office or Windows, go to http://support.microsoft.com/directory/.
For MSN Web Communities, Member Directory or support for files you have saved to MSN, go to http://communities.msn.com/home, then click “Help” on the upper middle part of your screen.
For MSN Chat, go to http://chat.msn.com/default.msnw, then click “Help” on the upper middle part of your screen.
For bCentral, go to http://www.bcentral.com/help/overview.asp.
For MSNBC, go to http://www.msnbc.com/m/info/help.asp.
For help with MSN.com, MSN Search or any other MSN property not mentioned above, go to http://www.msn.com, then click “Help” on the upper right-hand part of your screen.
This is an unmonitored e-mail address so please be sure to go to one of the links above.
We value your business and thank you for using the Microsoft network of web sites.
--- Original Message ---
From: scott@fuzzygroup.com
To: webmaster@msn.com
Sent: Apr 22 2002 7:06AM
Subject: Child Porn on your site
Hi,
I didn't bother to look but I find this community at MSN disgusting in
concept alone:
Pre Teen and Teen Girls in Nylons and Lingerie
htm>
http://communities.msn.com/PreTeenandTeenGirlsinNylonsandLingerie/home.h
tm (full url)
Scott
J. Scott Johnson
Physical
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
80 Spring Road
Nahant, MA 01908
Phone:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
781 592 0262 - home
617 970 4719 - cell
Virtual:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
sjohnson@fuzzygroup.com
Site: http://www.fuzzygroup.com/
Blog: http://radio.weblogs.com/0103807/
Yahoo IM: fuzzygroup
AOL IM: fuzzygroup
END EMAIL 2
Sigh. Appalling. I can understand this but nowhere was there a "For inappropriate content, ...". I'm not filling out a form. They'll never get to it that way. Maybe this makes me a bad person but I've done my job here (and they'll never get to it). One last try. I forwarded it to someone at Microsoft I had been in touch with this morning and asked him to look into it. He said yes and here was the response 8 or 10 hours later. (note that the url below he gave me wasn't one that even the autoresponder gave to me with the automatic reply).
START EMAIL 3.
Hi Scott. I’m told the right thing for you to do is give your feedback through the form at http://communities.msn.com/contact.
Shane
-----Original Message-----
From: J. Scott Johnson [mailto:scott@fuzzygroup.com]
Sent: Monday, April 22, 2002 12:08 PM
To: Shane McRoberts
Subject: RE: Is this the right address for the Program Manager for Win Help
Here is the message I sent:
Hi,
I didn't bother to look but I find this community at MSN disgusting in concept alone:
Pre Teen and Teen Girls in Nylons and Lingerie
http://communities.msn.com/PreTeenandTeenGirlsinNylonsandLingerie/home.htm (full url)
Scott
This could really just be free expression but its so damn close to kiddie porn in sound alone that it makes MS look bad.
Scott
-----Original Message-----
From: Shane McRoberts [mailto:shanemc@microsoft.com]
Sent: Monday, April 22, 2002 3:00 PM
To: scott@fuzzygroup.com
Subject: RE: Is this the right address for the Program Manager for Win Help
I’ll look into it.
Shane
-----Original Message-----
From: J. Scott Johnson [mailto:scott@fuzzygroup.com]
Sent: Monday, April 22, 2002 11:33 AM
To: Shane McRoberts
Subject: RE: Is this the right address for the Program Manager for Win Help
Awesome. I'll update my blog today. I found what I think is child porn on msn communities. webmaster@communities.msn.com bounced it back. Who do I send it to?
Scott
-----Original Message-----
From: Shane McRoberts [mailto:shanemc@microsoft.com]
Sent: Monday, April 22, 2002 1:18 PM
To: J. Scott Johnson
Subject: RE: Is this the right address for the Program Manager for Win Help
Update: This should be fixed by tomorrow. They’ve scheduled a rebuild of the search index for tonight.
Thanks again for letting us know about this. I know this kind of thing is frustrating for our customers—and for me, too!
Shane
-----Original Message-----
From: Shane McRoberts
Sent: Monday, April 22, 2002 9:19 AM
To: 'J. Scott Johnson'
Subject: RE: Is this the right address for the Program Manager for Win Help
Hi Scott. Thanks for the feedback. Wow, that looks pretty bad. I’ll look into why those links are broken.
Here’s the link I think you wanted: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/hhonline/html/vsconHH1Start.asp
Cheers,
Shane
[forward elided]
-----Original Message-----
From: J. Scott Johnson [mailto:scott@fuzzygroup.com]
Sent: Sunday, April 21, 2002 9:14 PM
To: Shane Morrison
Subject: Is this the right address for the Program Manager for Win Help
Hi,
I'm just winging it on the email address here. I had to build a winhelp file tonight and the experience was painful. Not the product. Here: http://radio.weblogs.com/0103807/
Just letting you know. Sometimes within the firewall, you don't know these things.
If you aren't the Shane McRoberts at Microsoft, I'm sorry. Please forward to him if you can or delete.
Scott
J. Scott Johnson
Physical
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
80 Spring Road
Nahant, MA 01908
Phone:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
781 592 0262 - home
617 970 4719 - cell
Virtual:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
sjohnson@fuzzygroup.com
Site: http://www.fuzzygroup.com/
Blog: http://radio.weblogs.com/0103807/
Yahoo IM: fuzzygroup
AOL IM: fuzzygroup
END EMAIL 3
I'm appalled. You? Anyone know a senator out there? I've already forwarded this to Dan Gilmor (San Jose Merc) and Hiawatha Bray (Boston Globe) but I don't know what to do next. Suggestions?
Basic Rule of Business: When your customers go out of their way to help you, you want to a) Say thank you b) Acknowledge it c) If its important then damn well address it instead of just saying "fill out this form".
9:39:36 PM 
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