I’ve been reading Robert Scoble’s recent post updating his Corporate Weblog Manifesto.
He wrote the Manifesto the day after being offered his current job at Microsoft. His update is posted a few months later. What intrigues me is the contrast between the two. The original manifesto is optimistic challenging and inspiring…
Tell the truth.. Post fast on good news or bad.. use a human voice.. have a thick skin.. if you screw up, acknowledge it.. never hide information
Compare and contrast with his update, written as a Microsoft employee. Check the full entry to get these quotes in context, but note the language of these snippets..
Don’t be sensationalistic.. If you don’t want to put your career at risk: don’t ever give away company secrets. Assume that everything is a company secret until you see the PR team put it out there.. Stay away from topics that have conflict..
It’s surprising how the whole tone shifts from one of engagement to one of avoidance; from a list of dos to one of don’ts… for me from courage to fear.
Don’t get me wrong; I think Scoble keeps a fantastic blog and is being very open and honest here. I’m not saying this is a binary good:evil thing. But when you think about the challenge Microsoft faces from Open Source, you have to wonder about the relative authenticity of the conversations in the two environments.
