Well, first it started with the now famous MiniMicrosoft…then came ExtremeMakeOver. And now we have PacketStorm? Of course, along the way were NextMSFT and MiniMicrosoftFrance but we will leave them aside for now. All these blogs have been started with the intention of affecting some sort of change in the company. MiniMicrosoft is all for RIF (reduction in force aka layoffs), ExtremeMakeOver is for, well, extreme make over, and PacketStorm is for a change in leadership I guess.
Lest you think this is only happening at Microsoft, early this year PentrinoVI started the Unofficial Intel Blog.
So whats going on? Few observations I made:
- Blogging is a unique mode of communication and its role here is critical. Blogging enables one to spread the word to a large audience, easily surfaces up in search engines etc. You know the rest – if not, go read Naked Conversations. But the key thing is anonymity. Regardless of what Scoble feels on anonymity, it is crucial (atleast for now). I dont think any of these blogs would have existed had it not been possible to blog anonymously. Of course, I am just picking on Scoble here
. - The other thing is the lack of a forum or a blog inside the companies to encourage this kind of open communication. Hence the need to do it outside on the internet.
- So far we havent seen too many blogs of this sort but I am pretty sure that we will see more of these in the future. And I mean blogs from other companies.
- All said and done I think of these blogs as a positive development. As long as they dont misuse the freedom and post sensitive (especially competitive) information, I think they are healthy in the long run. And so far we have seen only blogs by folks that are not quite happy with the way things are and want to change something. Will we, in the future, see anonymous blogs started by an average joe employee, not by an executive or a PR person spouting out company propoganda, that actually defends the way things are?
Lets see…but right now I am way too sleepy. Have an interesting meeting at 9AM tomorrow.
July 21, 2006 at 5:47 am
I think both Robert and I both see the reason why you choose to remain anonymous–more so than when we wrote the book. There are othjer examples, such as EA Housewife, who would have endangered the bread on her family’s table. But overall, it is important for bloggers to be as transparent as possible and to make it clear where they are coming from when they either criticize or praise.
As for you, Mini, I urge you to keep up the good work and I hope to find out who you are in my lifetime. But do not confide your secret to me. I’d love to be the blogger who blows your cover.
July 25, 2006 at 4:39 am
On principle I agree that it is important to be transparent. But practically speaking, I just dont think we are in a state where we can do that. Corporations are just not in a state where they would accept open criticism. Correct me if I am wrong but I think most corporations dont even have guidelines on what is permissible and what is not. Of course, here I am referring to corporate policy as a reason for anonymous blogging but there are other reasons for anonymous blogging as well and I think it will live on for quite sometime.
July 25, 2006 at 6:48 pm
Heck back in India ISPs have blocked every blogspot site ;( go figure.
July 25, 2006 at 6:51 pm
I thought it was restored back after protests from the blogger community? Is it still on? But yeah…I get your point! As I was saying, we have ways to go.
July 28, 2006 at 2:17 pm
Nope they are still blocked. But you folks are having fun with mini but I was wondering if you are just imagining that mini is “man”
. I wonder if it is just mini – the girl.
, I am thinking it will be one of the most “mediatertaining”(heck I too can invent a word) event at least for bloggers. Let us write a model based on present link/talk across the web world for minimsft and predict how many of them will access the whistleblower site or minimsft with photograph 
Anonymous posting has value when the “intended” voice has credibility and an agenda. Just look at revolutionaries etc, they always like to take credit for the “work”. I think most of the “complaints” of mini have been heard(rating, team shuffle – rest is much more generic stuff where I have least interest). Let us hope he/she surfaces
On other positive note I think whistleblowing policies across corporations/governments could use auditable/archivable log of events. But this can become a circus if one hires “spin-battalion” and pays them to post personable, likable propaganda.
July 29, 2006 at 9:27 am
Prakash Channagiri, in relation to transparency, etc, I read something by an economist I believe he was, late last decade. To the effect that corporations were command economies. If so, whistle blowers and suchlike cannot afford to be openly known – command economies are notoriously vicious on people who let slip that not everything is rosy.
August 5, 2006 at 4:13 am
Govind wrote: But you folks are having fun with mini but I was wondering if you are just imagining that mini is “man” . I wonder if it is just mini – the girl.
I thought Mini was a guy (according to the Business Week interview he gave some months back). I am hoping that he doesnt surface! That way the blog will remain intact:). But if it does, it sure as hell will be mediatertaining!
June 7, 2007 at 6:12 pm
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