Elizabeth’s Introduction to the Digital Age

I must admit that as I was reading Scoble and Israel’s book, I felt as though I was taken back to my middle school days, standing outside the boys’ locker room with my ear pressed to the door, giggling with my girlfriends and hoping to hear a salacious secret. A crush revealed, a disguised compliment about yours truly, or even an inside glimpse of the coveted weekend agenda.

No such luck.

Instead, we’d wait and wait, hoping to steal a tidbit of information to take back to the rest of our posse. We’d start fidgeting, reposition our organized configuration, buy some fruit snacks, take a seat, and roll our eyes.

“Man, did you see Fee (a tackler) sack Sweeney (the quarterback) today?” one would ask the other.

“That’s gotta suck,” the observer would respond so eloquently. “He kicked the crap out of him.”

The mumbling would continue. They’d dissect each play, talk about how awesome the sport was, and how lucky they were to be part of such an exclusive clique.

Kind of like how Scoble and Israel talk about blogging.

I should have known that if there are fanatic football players in the world, there are inevitably fanatic bloggers out there as well. And while I realize that I may be giving the partners in blogging too hard of a time, I can’t help but draw the parallel when they talk all about the “blogging world” and “de facto” rules.

Allow me to present some of their finer points and provide some feedback of my own.

  S&I Claim #1: 

Countries and Companies with blogs will be seen as more open-minded and trustworthy.  

In addition, companies that intend on victimizing customers and supporter and people with terrible communication skills (including those prone to hyperboles) shouldn’t blog.  

I can’t help but think that Scoble and Israel sound a bit like sore losers when they make these arguments. It’s sort of like saying, “Everyone should play football—except those individuals who are completely uncoordinated, terrible team players and have bad attitudes.”

In essence, the authors are saying that every country and company should blog aside from those that shouldn’t even be in existence. What type of successful company victimizes customers and treats their employees poorly? A person with poor communication skills who indulges in frequent exaggerations shouldn’t speak in public, let alone blog. Duh!

How about those companies that treat their customers and employees extremely well but just feel that there are other ways to express their messages? Can you fault a company for not blogging when instead they choose to hold face-to-face meetings like shareholder conferences and town hall discussions?  Why is blogging so superior to these other means of communicating with customers and employees?

If you sift through Technorati or other blog search engines, you don’t find results for blogs of Starbucks employees. However, Starbucks has a national reputation for valuing their employees and providing them with impressive wages and expansive health care plans. But wait, they don’t blog. Forget health care and wages. Starbucks stinks! Ok, ok, Scroble and Israel do mention those small town successful companies that prosper despite their lack of blogs (they just happen to do so in a brief paragraph in the last part of the chapter).

 “There are still local merchants who reach all of the customers they need through non-technically assisted conversations, and in some businesses the majority of the customers do not use computers” (p. 137). 

Guys, I hate to break it to you. There are also “wonderful” companies out there whose customers do use computers who choose not to blog. It’s not only those merchants in Podunk Ohio.

 S&I Claim #2:  

Saddam Hussein should not blog. 

I don’t disagree. I don’t think anyone wants to hear from Saddam Hussein more than they need to. But how about those people who don’t have enough time to devote to a blog? Scoble and Israel later explain how much of a time commitment blogging actually is and say that people must be passionate and consistent in their blogging. Unfortunately, not everyone has an extended amount of time that they can devote to establishing a blog. If these two bloggers want to build up this form of communication, they shouldn’t sell it to every Tom, Dick, and Harry. They also shouldn’t underestimate the amount of time and energy that goes into producing a successful blog.  

S&I Claim #3: 

Company managers should not be concerned about employee misbehavior because it has rarely happened in the past. Company managers should also not be concerned with inaccurate facts because other bloggers will correct them. 

Scoble and Israel completely rely on past precedent when establishing these arguments. “The point is that the risk of employee misbehavior is so remote, based on what has actually occurred so far, that it seems safe to assume blogging’s benefits outweigh its risks” (p 145).

I’d be curious to know what company manager has found that explanation sufficient. As a student, I’m thinking of selling my teacher on the following argument: There’s no need to monitor students while taking tests. Cheating has never occurred in your classroom so if you leave them alone, I can pretty much guarantee that it won’t occur in the future.

How about Martin– the disgruntled employee– who sat in on his publicly traded company’s earning talks this past quarter. Let’s say Martin (who also publishes a widely read blog) gets fed up with his boss one day and thinks that payback is the best revenge. Martin proceeds to leak information discussed in that meeting on his blog. This information is immediately read by shareholders who think it wise to sell their stocks quickly. Within 12 hours, the company has lost millions of dollars, employees (including Martin) have lost their jobs, and there is a major public relations crisis on the executive’s hands. The boss (who was reluctant about blogging to begin with), scratches his head and thinks, ‘Scoble and Israel didn’t prepare me for this.’

I understand what these guys are saying. But I also think that they are looking at the blogosphere through rose colored glasses and they have every reason to do so—they’ve not yet encountered major problems. But some people might. What happens when they do? What happens when bloggers do not correct misinformation and a story that’s told on a blog is perceived as fact? How should companies act then? How can companies avoid a catastrophe that may be triggered by blogging?

 S&I Claim #4:  

It’s OK to publish contact information because Scoble did and nothing bad happened (except for the two crank calls). 

Let’s look at their supporting data:“Our experience tells us the risks of publishing your contact information are exaggerated. Scoble’s phone number has been posed for years, and so far, he’s received only two crank calls. But because he’s made himself accessible, he’s enjoyed friendships and taken advantage of opportunities that might otherwise have been missed” (p. 177) Scoble’s been lucky. A blog that I frequently read talks about the experiences of a young girl living in New York City. She frequently writes about her job, her weekend excursions, and embarrassing blind dates. This blogger chooses not to publish her contact information and I think she is wise to do so. People can communicate with bloggers by posting comments on the site. Unfortunately, we do not live in a day and age where you can trust everyone in cyberspace. People must be careful. A new blog is developed every minute and some of those blogs are being written by teenagers and other young kids. It’s wrong to tell these individuals that it’s safe to post contact information on the Internet. Not only is it incorrect, but it’s also ignorant.  S&I

Claim #5:  Keep it simple. Keep it focused

One of the things I like best about blogs is that they’re conversational and light reading. It’s also one of the things I like best about reading US Magazine. However, The New York Times readers might feel differently. They might think that US is a bit too simplified, trashy and not intellectual enough for their taste. The same should be said for those who read blogs. I understand the authors’ argument but I don’t necessarily agree with it. They argue that blogs should be an outlet of expression. That’s precisely why I think individuals should have the freedom to write how they chose to.    

Time to take it easy… 

Having said that all, I must also admit that Scoble and Israel raise some very valid points in their book. Companies that plan on launching new projects can benefit from setting up a blog where they can receive customer feedback and field questions. Pandora.com, a free online radio station, effectively does this. Pandora’s CEO blogs regularly. However, he also sends personal emails to listeners and is currently embarking on a cross-country travel to meet and speak with individuals about Pandora. There’s a lot of things that he’s doing right, and blogging is most definitely one of those efforts that should be mentioned.

I do think that it’s extremely important for companies to establish blogging policies before encouraging employees to blog. By doing so, executives and employees are aware of the expectations and repercussions should an individual violate any of the rules. I also think it’s important for individuals to realize that blogging is not for everyone. Blogging is an activity that requires a significant investment of time.

I think that the readers of Naked Conversations could have benefitted from hearing more about these points (and hearing multidimensional arguments). But then again, bloggers are passionate people. And you can call these guys a lot of things, but you can’t say they aren’t passionate.

It wasn’t too long ago that Microsoft was viewed as the evil technology conglomerate by the majority of consumers, both in America and abroad. “Often perceived as predatory and heartless, Microsoft has a reputation for ruthlessly rolling over competitors, wrestling in courtrooms against government prosecutors, and exposing its customers to security flaws and frustrating glitches” (Scoble and Israel, page 9). In an effort to correct those views, Microsoft launched several initiatives, one of which was to have their employees begin blogging. In their book, Naked Conversations, Robert Scoble and Shel Israel talked about how this effort put the company back in peoples’ good graces and benefitted Microsoft in immeasurable ways.

Because Microsoft was viewed as cold and impersonal, blogging about the company made it appear more personal and trusting. Consumers weren’t the only ones who responded positively to this new form of communication. “Perhaps more significant, [Alan] thinks, has been the impact on employee morale and the company’s ability to attract new talent” (p. 13). Scoble and Israel addressed the concerns of company executives who thought that blogs would be the demise of a corporation and employees will reveal deep, dark secrets to the general public. Alan recognized those worries, but pointed out that those employees who disliked the company to that degree would have probably left the company by now and if not, they would make their opinions known to consumers whether or not management allowed them to. He also added that the improved relationship with customers is well worth the risk. “ …Microsoft has hard evidence: surveys showing that customers viewing the company in more trusting terms” (page 11).

In one of their community blogs, Mark Russinovich, a Microsoft employee, talks about improvements made to Windows Vista SP1. After reading Russinovich’s blog, I have to ask who these blogs appeal to. Are all consumers attracted to company blogs or just those who have a high level of digital literacy? The information seems extremely technical and the majority of it was lost to me.

Since word of mouth is the most effective marketing tool, Scoble and Israel argue that blogs are some of the most effective forms of communication. The authors discuss several trends in communication and draw a linear comparison to phone books, websites, and blogs. They are the next logical step. Benefits of blogs, including the fact that they are low cost and easily accessible as well as conversational and informal are also highlighted in the reading.

In the article, Essential Blogging, by Corey Doctrow, how the more informal tone of blogs resonates with readers is also discussed. Doctrow mentioned the wide array of topics that he was able to discuss on his own blog—from company news to family announcements. Unlike Scoble and Israel, Gillmor argued that blogs are a time-intensive undertaking. Although I don’t disagree with Scoble’s and Israel’s claims that blogs are an effective medium of communication, I do think they sell them as an easy project that anyone can contribute to. I also think that the authors portray blogging as the all encompassing solution for Microsoft. It should be noted that Microsoft employed several different strategies—Scoble and Israel chose to highlight blogging. “Since the end of the anti-trust trial, Microsoft has been on a massive charm offensive. It has methodically settled lawsuit after lawsuit with rivals and governments. It reached out to all sorts of constituencies. Bill Gates himself has become calmer, less publicly combative, since leaving the CEO post. His charitable foundation has taken off in a very public way. And the company has allowed numerous employees to show a human face by blogging. All of this has improved their image” (p. 10)

One question that I would ask Scoble and Israel is this: How does a company know which blogs to respond to and which to write off as irrelevant? I can already anticipate their response, “You shouldn’t write off any blog as irrelevant,” they’d tell me. In an ideal world, you wouldn’t. However, in today’s work culture, it would be difficult to devote enough time to scanning every blog that mentions a particular company (there are over 700,000 blogs that mention Microsoft). To which blogs should a company devote their time and resources? The authors also mentioned a fact that was brushed over a bit too quickly:   “While as many as one-third of all blogs started may be abandoned within a year” (p. 25). Why are blogs abandoned? Could it be argued that although blogs are more informal and personal, they aren’t taken as seriously as other forms of media because peoples’ lack of commitment to their blog?