// Internet Duct Tape

In 25 ways to get an insanely popular blog Skellie describes 25 models for blogging that leads to an ever increasing audience. There’s one she missed out on: the abrasive model.

1. Say something bone-headed so people clamour to their keyboards in order to prove you wrong.
2. Make commenting on your post as hard as possible so that people will respond with blog posts of their own instead of a comment.

I was reminded of this tactic by the ZDNet post: “What Microsoft can teach Apple about software updates” (via parislemon).

The title alone makes me want to say “Like what? Rebooting the computer without asking me or asking me every five minutes when I click the ‘Later’ button?” The default settings for Windows Update will reboot your computer without your permission and can cause data loss if you have open applications.

Pithy reply in hand, I want to post a comment. The comment box on ZDNet looks normal enough until you click “Add your opinion”.

Congradulations ZDNet, you have a captcha worse than Typepad (and that’s saying a lot). No wonder the conversation is leaving the blogosphere.

Footnote

I don’t disagree with Ed’s piece. I have my own hate fest on with the iTunes updater because a) it seems like there’s a new version every time I run iTunes and b) it keeps on install the same dumb “helpers” to my startup no matter how many times I disable them (You don’t need them to run iTunes! Stop eating my ram!). I disagree with Windows Update being upheld as a paragon of good update procedures.

Of course, Ed is recommending the virtues of Microsoft Update, not Windows Update. So who knows if my comment is even valid. But man… look at that ZDNet captcha.