Channel 9 (Microsoft)

Channel 9
Homepage
Type of site
Video hosting, podcasting
Available inEnglish
Created byMicrosoft
URLchannel9.msdn.com (Archived)
RegistrationOptional
LaunchedApril, 2004
Current statusInactive

Channel 9 was a Microsoft website for hosting videos and podcasts that Microsoft employees create.[1]

Launched in 2004 when Microsoft's corporate reputation was at a low,[2] Channel 9 was the company's first blog. It was named after the United Airlines audio channel that lets airplane passengers listen to the cockpit's conversations unhindered; the site published conversations among Microsoft developers, rather than its chairman Bill Gates, who had historically been the "face" of Microsoft.[2] This made it an inexpensive alternative to Microsoft's Professional Developers Conference, then the main public platform where customers and outside developers could speak to Microsoft employees without the intervention of the company's PR department.[3] The Channel 9 team produced interviews with Bill Gates, Erik Meijer, and Mark Russinovich.[citation needed]

On November 5, 2021, it was announced that Microsoft would merge Channel 9 into Microsoft Learn.[4] The move was completed on December 1, effectively rendering the original site defunct. However, past videos from the former site can still be seen there.[5]

Channel 9, however, was not a community website and did not host any content made by the community.[1] That had not always been the case. The site once hosted discussion forums,[6] as well as a wiki based on Microsoft's own FlexWiki. The wiki had been used to provide ad hoc feedback to Microsoft teams, such as the Internet Explorer team.[7]

  1. ^ a b "About Channel 9". Retrieved 2008-07-03.
  2. ^ a b Gambetti, Rossella; Quigley, Stephen (2012). Managing Corporate Communication: A Cross-Cultural Approach. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 197. ISBN 978-1-137-29257-5.[permanent dead link‍]
  3. ^ Ratcliffe, Mitch; Mack, Steve (2008). Podcasting Bible. John Wiley & Sons. p. 506. ISBN 978-0-470-37759-8.
  4. ^ Carnevale, Robert (5 November 2021). "Microsoft Learn absorbs Channel 9 and commits to preserving its essence". Windows Central. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  5. ^ Carnevale, Robert (1 December 2021). "New Channel 9 index page gives access to all the videos you could ever want". Windows Central. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
  6. ^ "New meeting place | Coffeehouse | Forums | Channel 9". channel9.msdn.com. Archived from the original on 2017-04-19. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
  7. ^ "Internet Explorer Feedback". Channel9 Wiki.