Ballmer still having trouble understanding new stuff

I always look forward to Steve Ballmer’s take on anything newer than Windows and Office because it’s bound to include some great humor. Most recently he’s called Facebook a “fad” and compared it to GeoCities. Robert Scoble has a good write up and commentary on some of his more humorous comments. It’s better than last weeks SNL.

Ballmer represents what Microsoft used to be back in the 80’s and early 90’s. When they were able to bully about anyone around and get away with it. Along came Netscape which kicked them in the collective butt. I stopped taking Ballmer seriously years ago and so have most investors as the stock has been flat going on five years. 

Ballmer can mock Facebook and the like all he wants. But he should take this seriously: Myself and many others are spending a lot less time using Microsoft products.

Sure I still use Windows and Office on occasion but if Microsoft hopes to challenge Google, they will need properties and products that provide a platform for delivering advertising. I’m spending more time on Facebook than any Microsoft site. I’m spending more time in WordPress than all Office products combined. Other than Windows, the only Microsoft product I use regularly is Windows Live Messenger. See the problem here? Microsoft still thinks Windows is the “platform”. But for a whole generation of users the “platform” is Facebook or MySpace or LinkedIN or WordPress or Ebay.

Will Ballmer keep his head in the sand or will someone pull a Steven Sinofsky and send a “CORNELL IS WIRED” type call to arms to Ballmer and others to wake up and take notice of what is going on in the Web 2.0 space?