Here’s a strange sequence of events: no sooner did I post that teaser from Bing’s Facebook page about something being announced today, possibly at Microsoft’s big media event, a post in Bing’s Search Blog appeared in my RSS reader. That in itself isn’t strange, but when I click on the link to visit the page of the actual blog post, the link is dead. So was the blog not supposed to be updated just yet, hence it being taken down (and does the fact that it possibly appeared before it was scheduled to qualify the information as a leak)?
The timestamp on the post, according to my reader, is 12:21PM EST. Authored by Bing Marketing Manager Maggie Adams, the full blog post follows:
As part of the Bing Summer of Doing, we are launching a new site today to inspire you to make the most of your summer. Every day we’ll showcase a new daily activity to motivate you to learn more while giving you a chance to win cool prizes. Check out the site each day at bing.com/doing, or follow along at #summerofdoing.
Every week we will have a new theme including DIY-ing, eating, celebrating, giving back, wander-lusting, riding, jamming, and more. Each day of the week will present a new Bing search and new opportunity to be inspired to do something.
For example, for DIY-ing week, you can hone your DIY skills including, yarn bombing, home brewing, vertical gardening, canning, and cheese making. For eating week, you can nosh and nibble your way via food trucking, dim summing, locavoring, wine tasting, picnicking and more.
Each week you have a chance to win fabulous prizes. From the chance to become a master chef via culinary classes, receiving an amazing DIY kit, winning an amazing party, or making a difference in your community – the Bing Summer of Doing has you covered.
Check it out and good luck!
– Maggie Adams, Marketing Manager, Bing
While the blog post appears to have been taken down, bing.com/doing is a live site. Here’s a screenshot of the homepage:
As you can see in the homepage, the site is geared towards prompting people to do more physical or manual activities as a product of what they search for on Bing with incentives promised through Bing Rewards. Today’s “doing” image pertains to do-it-yourself projects.
Clicking on the “doing” image, I’m prompted to sign into Bing with my Facebook account. Everything’s becoming clear now: Bing is not only trying to encourage users to be a little more active this summer (ironically, away from their computer) but is promoting its new social search feature simultaneously. Once I’m redirected to a search of “diy crafts” on Bing, I see the following box appear:
So by trying to do more physical or creative activities this summer, and by incorporating my online social network with these activities, I’m eligible for weekly prizes.
Very crafty indeed, Bing.
As a postscript, we contacted Bing for comment on the new initiative/webpage, but as of this article’s publication we haven’t received any information.
Again, not confirming this Bing blog announcement was released prematurely, but it’s conspicuous absence now seems to suggest it wasn’t supposed to go live just yet. Stay tuned for Microsoft’s conference later today to see if they push the new bing.com/doing site or if this indeed is separate from the media event.