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Thursday, August 23 03:43 PM |
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Will Microsoft Pulling Its Dime Make Changes at Scott Mill's BET online?
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After the acquisition of BET by Viacom, Microsoft continued investment in BET.com doesn’t make sense. Microsoft is rumored to be pulling out its $35 million dollar war chest. The site was already not meeting its objectives, however BET.com is now MTVi’s baby to nurse. Although still dark and somber colored, BET.com is slowly moving away from the mistakes that led to the developing a site that was cast toward the wrong demographic. It has finally accepted that BET.com is for horny teenagers.
Where We Web
BET.com has dropped the ridiculous bromide of “Where We Web” from under their logo. A scattered content strategy results in kitchen sink press release re-writes and a filter to information which results in more articles about what color pants Colin Powell wore to the inaugural ball than the atrocities in Angola or the rise of AIDS in youth. The origination of the site only distracts its true audience from what they came to do.
Taking a cue from www.amihotornot.com, which was covered in the dying Internet industry trades, BET.com has launched an online beauty contest called Shine. Reactionary content development is an interesting strategy that, although laggard, is not entirely a bad thing. There are a lot of complaints surfacing that BET.com’s email list may have been sold to 3rd party e-mail marketing companies, some of which in turn have sold the e-mail lists to pornographic companies spamming for customers.
| Stickiness (Average Hours / Month / Person) | | Blackplanet.com | 2:11 | | BET.com | 0:14 | | Blackvoices.com | 0:43 | | * data from Nielsen ratings -june 2001 |
Scott Free
Before Bet.com, its CEO, Scott Mills, ran the BET restaurants. The reason most people don’t know about the restaurants is because they were unprofitable and marketed so badly that no one knew about the Soundstage chain. Scott’s next assignment was to bring the BET clothing line, EXTO to market. If it had hit the market, it would have possibly generated millions of dollars for BET’s bottom line. The clothing line project was scraped as it neared completion. The product was deemed horrible and upper management lost confidence.
Scott entertains himself by going to industry conferences and bragging about sticking high paying advertisers in low-traffic areas because he can get away with it. Scott’s first major move was to acquire 360hiphop.com, in the hopes of forging a great relationship with Russell Simmons and using his name to sell ad space for the youth/urban music market. Instead of capitalizing on the already existing Rap city brand from the cable network and building a site around that, he inherited a low traffic, high maintenance company and a rocky relationship with Russell Simmons.
Scott wanted to go to a high profile awards show, and begged Russell to go. Russell referred him to his assistant. Scott’s tenacious personality however led to a snit with Russell’s assistant that had Scott reminding the assistant of his importance. Needless to say Scott never went. His daily office cruise consists of casual bragging sessions about expensive cars, going to the Hamptons, name-dropping of celebrities, and bad-mouthing Russell when he isn’t around
Scott Mills has allegedly said, “I run this damn company the way I want”, in regard to employees feelings. He is right. His management style consists of using buzzwords such as “value proposition”, “economies of scale” and “above the fold” out of context and yelling at female employees till they cry. He enjoys this uncomfortable atmosphere created by management through intimidation. He has allegedly told female employees that he has 5 bikini-clad women come over to his house and wash his cars and motorcycles and give him exotic massages in his movie room. He also allegedly commented to several female employees, “I love riding my motorcycle, it feels like sex, don’t you think?” When contacted for his response to the allegations, Scott told us to fuck off.
Although Scott’s solipsistic management style and employee-relations leave something to be desired, and may be currently under investigation, mitigating factors include the fact that 360hiphop is rumored to be re-branded as Rap City and numerous other observations made by urbanexpose.com have been implemented at BET.com. Oh darn, where did that Arabesque chat room go?
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Time the fuck out,
I'm not going to defend Scott Mills, but don't sit here and treat Blackplanet like Rakim, some highly regarded trophy/legacy that really didn't do shit except in the mind of a few scribes.....
If you going to diss people like Scott, diss on. But just because someone gave your ass TV time don't make them any fucking better, especially when they got nearly the same amount of funding....
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BET.com, BlackPlanet.com, and BlackVoices.com are all the same. An online outlet for a bunch of overweight horny people. BET has the pre-teenie boppers. BP is mixture of middle age adults and teenagers. BV is an retirement home. |
Sticky doesn't mean anything!
If I spend 2 hours checking my e-mail at Yahoo! that doesn't mean that Amazon didn't make more money on the 5 minutes I spent with them. |
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Blackplanet.com 2:11: that figure represent that it takes on average that amount of time to log onto that bitch even thur a high bandwidth connection. |
Remember when Scott Mills stole the 360hiphop promo video and made it BET.com video and got it put on air because he was fucking the same girl as Stephen Hill?
Remember he took credit for the whole thing too. So what he makes Mrs. Hill cry at least once a week screaming on her? She is VP of Content and she doesn't do shit but try to hire ex-UBO employees to cover her ass. I think she used to be an assistant at THe Washington Post online division writing bullshit.
That woman wants all the content to be two levels below JET magazine. I've seen pathmark circulars with better copy than the stuff Retha goes after. |
I don't care what he does
He won't be doing just like he was
Take those kids and raise 'em up
Show 'em how to drank out
the righteous cup
Make 'em get up
Best get up
get out
Make 'em get up
Best get up
get out |
Where's my posse? alright Scott, gimme some of that dirty-nasty-lowdown-given-chances-to-make-money-repeatedly-for-some-fuckin-reason-only-to-close-every-company-and-website-that-you-come-close-to FUNK!Lets....get....gullyyyyy..... |
"When contacted for his response to the allegations, Scott told us to fuck off."
I'm highly surprised.......
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cmon its fun to watch infantile bullies embarrass themselves in public and run companies into the ground while spouting B-school speak |
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I think the name of that clothing line is Exsto or something. It was a horrible name. You are on point that BET missed out on a cool $100 million dollars because of Scott Mills fuck up. He got the job in charge of bet.com that no one else wanted.
He must really know how to kiss some ass. Scott acts like he is big time. He doesn't accept calls from people he doesnt know. I was working with a company that wanted to buy some ads from bet.com but he didn't return the calls because we are a small time marketing company fronting for a shall-remain-nameless oh fuck-it DDB Needham, that wanted to do something special. He ignored us, we took our budget elsewhere. At conferences and meets and greets.. He acts socialable because he thinks if you were important enough to get in there you are worth talking to.
Just don't expect the same curtesy when you are calling about business or ideas. Oh well, He can always hide behind bet.com declaring market forces are what is making it bad instead of a lack of vision on his part.
value propisition? none. |
Rumor has it that Microsoft is looking to back another urban property. Worthwhile sites that come to mind are netnoir, blackamerica, eur, blaqcity, city-alert, y2g--probably too ghetto, socialstep--which is y2g extension, or blackvoices--if they get ousted by Tribune in time which is expected in coming months. |
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Damn that pathmark comment was harsh. And funny. |
I figured it was only a matter of time before you went after Scott Mills and you have done so with a vengeance I thought was reserved for Another. While exposes make for interesting reading, when I see only negative articles, I begin to question motives and accuracy. Where are the profiles on those of us who are doing it right or at least trying to do it right? I sense a deep-rooted frustration towards the subjects of your articles. Maybe most deserve it because there can be some very arrogant people in this world. At the same time, Ihave to ask, Is there anyone among our people who do the right thing, the right way? I guess that's why expose is part of your name but one can also expose good. |
I am also trying to learn more about Viacom's acquisition of BET. I believe Viacom's purchase of BET included Bet.com properties. I believe you indicated that MTVi was taking over BET.com. What does this mean to blacks in cyperspace? Based on your expose, I presume it means nothing. But surely it must mean something, if not now, then later. What does it mean in terms of black employment opportunities at BET.com? |
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http://bet.com/LIFESTYLES/0,1821,C-2-63-231700,00.html |
Scott Mills is the biggest cocksucker in DC if he was so great of a lawyer then why the hell isn't he a lobbyist. I know how he got the job- he decided to screw the guy who ran it with an industry salary survey so he justified his exsistence with "I can do that at my salary" Scott you are a pathetic piece of shit. Bill Gates and Sumner Redstone did not get to the point in their careers without wiping their asses with toilet paper and flushing a piece of shit like you down the toilet. YOU SUCK, you also turned bet.com from a great promise to a reflection of you- A PIECE OF SHIT! You want people to think that you are a lover I heard that you enjoyed it the other way, what a piece of work. Start applying now for your days of goldbricking are over. Shuffle down the street to that tune, |
damn...funding! if shit stinks, it oughta get fu fu fu flushed!!! period. Flush all the lil bitches looking for handouts for every little jig that they do. There is work at the post office in D.C. I hear...unless you "kno sumpin bout birthin babies" |
You know my back is against the wall and everything that going down,seems to have an adverse effect. It's like the old days when the people guarded the heritage, nurture the struggle and determine to have a voice, representation. Though our money wasn't long, we survive and now the old adage about sellout is so camouflaged, that we fall under the same control of money vs. the freedom of speech, the freedom of black culture and the joy to feel glad. Must say that I wasn't going to write but for years these thoughts have been locally. Now we can't look back. It's almost as though being Black, african-american is shameful. And anytime we express for Black, Own by Black and we don't care, because it is black. A merger, a sellout, and our freedom to invest in ourselves eliminated.
In the spirit of our grandparents, forefathers in the days of limitless freedoms, not disguise, out front.
My only regret, that the retaliation on those that hurt our freedom, security, have not only closed our eyes, but bring a new a day, that our freedom of culture, history and our freedom of being black, owning black is not camouflage behind the censorship, that old folks would say is the sellout. I must say that has torn at me for some odd years.
No, this is not off chest, but a revival of taking in charge of my blackself. and if that means stepping on toes in these days when unity is diplay, then this writer is right on time when the power of Black Unity principles are what Unity of United States are exhibiting now. As Marvin Gaye said, What's Happening, Brother and Curtis Mayfield said Right on for Darkness. |
Why the fuck can't we as black people handle our own businesses? For the people, by the people.....let's handle up peeps!!!! ONE!!! |
why don't we just call the man "Butterfingers" or "Dadundadunt" and call the whole thing off??
And I agree with Chocsguy...entertaining that it is to see venom spewed as often as urbanexpose tends to do, where are the "good try, gang" stories?? Or should I be looking for that kind of shit at BET.com?
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