An article in siliconvalley.com asks if the Microsoft User Network is a joke or not. Apparently it's not. It's a less hidden version of astroturfing I guess. Last time I checked though, "fan sites" felt a little bit more honest and real, and didn't look like they were organized by the company they are a fan of.
The Unofficial Bill Gates Fan Network is particularily amusing though. Their photo gallery is strangely missing this picture though. Strange.
I'm shaking my head, I still can't get it. There are similar things in the open source world, but they seem to be far more tounge in cheek. To each their own though I guess...