Elizabeth’s Introduction to the Digital Age

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?