From Jon Udell's blog post entitled A conversation with Jon Udell about his new job with Microsoft he writes

Q: Your new job is with Microsoft?

A: That's right. My last day at InfoWorld will be Friday Dec 15. On Jan 15, after a month-long sabbatical, I'll become a Microsoft employee. My official title will be Evangelist, and I'll report to Jeff Sandquist. He's the leader of the team that creates Channel 9 and Channel 10, websites that feature blogs, videos, screencasts, and podcasts for Microsoft-oriented developers.

Q: What will your role be?

A: The details aren't nailed down, but in broad terms I've proposed to Microsoft that I continue to function pretty much as I do now. That means blogging, podcasting, and screencasting on topics that I think are interesting and important; it means doing the kinds of lightweight and agile R&D that I've always done; and it means brokering connections among people, software, information, and ideas -- again, as I've always done.

Q: Why are you doing this?

A: I'm often described as a leading-edge alpha geek, and that's fair. I am, and probably always will be, a member of that club. But I'm also increasingly interested in reaching out to the mainstream of society.

For those of us in the club, it's a golden age. With computers and networks and information systems we can invent new things almost as fast as we can think them up. But we're leaving a lot of folks behind. And I'm not just talking about the digital divide that separates the Internet haves from the have-nots. Even among the haves, the ideas and tools and methods that some of us take for granted haven't really put down roots in the mainstream.

I had dinner with Jon a couple of weeks ago when he came up to Microsoft for interviews and I was impressed with the plan he described for the future of his career. I was pretty sure that once anyone interviewing him spent even a few minutes talking to him they'd be convinced they'd found the right person for the job, even though the job was Jon's idea. I was honored that Jon contacted me to talk to me about his plans and have been on pins & needles wondering if the folks at Microsoft would hire him or not.

Congrats to Jeff Sandquist. First Rory, now Jon Udell. You're hiring all the right folks.