Scoble, MS, blogging, identities

Scoble had a good piece that relates to several of the recent posts.

http://radio.weblogs.com/0001011/2003/10/31.html#a5251

Janome
Friday, October 31, 2003

"I've been asked to avoid discussing the firing on my blog because it's a personel issue and because it's Microsoft policy not to discuss those issues in public."

While I agree with the policy, doesn't that fly in the face of the whole 'markets-as-conversations' premise of corporate weblogs?

Friday, October 31, 2003

How is talking about a fired employee anti Doc Searls' message of "markets as conversations" point?

Some things we can't talk about. Do you talk about why you hire or fire people?

Robert Scoble
Friday, October 31, 2003

There's a difference betwen a relevant conversation about markets, and gossip. Do you want MS publishing stats on the number of their employees who surf porn from their work computeres just because it's "conversation?"

www.MarkTAW.com
Saturday, November 1, 2003

Hey Scoble,

My idea was something along these lines:

1.  There is a public perception among some that this guy didn't do anything wrong.  I'm not saying he did or didn't, I don't know the details.

2.  MS is encouraging blogs, quite effectively I might add, as a means to evangelize its new products.

3.  Those same people in #1 might now question whether those blogs are now going through an "MS approved" filter, whether intentional or subconscious.

4.  Therefore the blogs aren't really an open conversation, but another form of marketing literature.

Saturday, November 1, 2003

Don't publish photos taken on the MS campus.

That chills discussion of MS products in what way?

Philo

Philo
Saturday, November 1, 2003

3.  Those same people in #1 might now question whether those blogs are now going through an "MS approved" filter, whether intentional or subconscious.

Sunday, November 2, 2003

If you work for MS and you post something MS disapproves of, then you might just lose your job.

Don't think of yourself as a blogger, think of yourself as an amateur PR flack.

Sunday, November 2, 2003

Never mind, I was wrong.  I must've misunderstood something.  Forget I commented.

Sunday, November 2, 2003

He wasn't fired because of the content of his picture. He was fired because he posted one in the first place. He signed an NDA not to reveal Microsoft's business practices and as a contractor he needed to be very strict about complying with that.

Robert Scoble
Wednesday, November 5, 2003

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