Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Microsoft’s blog fiasco raises plenty of questions. Is it ethical? Was the strategy misfounded? Is this just a natural extension of the traditional product reviews program? I’ve made my views pretty clear on these and more.

One question that shouldn’t be asked is “What was Edelman thinking?”. There is a natural tendency to paint agencies with the same brush as their clients. It’s been argued before that the reputation of an agency and their client are intrinsically linked.

But attaching Edelman to the Microsoft affair assumes several acts took place – first, the client actually took the agency’s counsel as opposed to asking, disagreeing and telling the agency to get executing. Second, that the agency had anything to do with the idea at all (Microsoft actually works with many agencies). Third, that the client is even letting the agency respond to the issue. After a bit of digging, I believe that Edelman is innocent on all counts.

There is another dynamic at play here: The Agency Of One. As much as we like to draw the parallel between bloggers and the media, in some cases a more appropriate parallel would be between bloggers and agencies. Agencies are places for many (many people, many clients). Bloggers take on the dynamic of individual PR agencies – they promote and deposition aggressively, they love to provide counsel – and, like agencies they hate it when they are ignored.

With this in mind, what bloggers shouldn’t do is judge agencies as having they same degree of freedom as they do. “They shouldn’t have told them to do that!” Or, “They should have just come clean and talked about it!” All ok if you are a blogger but much more difficult when you are dealing with one of your largest clients who are pretty much a law unto themselves and directing you on what to do. What an agency might like to do immediately suddenly gets mired down in a clients’ legal and communications bureaucracy. (I’m pretty much certain this is what happened to Edelman when trying to deal with the WalMart affair).

There is no question that the WalMart affair and Edelman’s overall aggressiveness in the blogosphere has painted a pretty big target on their backs. At the end of the day, this is a fine agency doing some of the leading work in social media and participatory communications. Their only mistake of late is not doing more to shine a light on what they have been doing.

1. They’ve built a worldclass social media practice that is pretty much the envy of the industry. Is that practice being listened to by the rest of Edelman? After the Walmart affair, you betcha.
2. They are pioneering PR to technology relationships – such as those with Technorati – that I expect to see more of in the next year. I’m surprised more agencies aren’t doing the same. It’s interesting seeing traditional technology business development coming to the world of communications.
3. They are doing some terrific client work – I’ll leave them to tout that. Axe comes to mind.

Edelman, it would seem, is in a bit of a bind with regard to Perception and Reality. Perception is that they’ve been behind a series of blog blunders. Reality is, not really. In Microsoft’s case, perception is very much reality. Instead of schmoozing the blogerati and handing out fancy notebooks they should get their act together on the beta/trial, really integrate blogging into the launch, and learn to love those early adopters willing to beta and trial their products.

The “Blog for Notebooks” affair was one thing. The way Microsoft is handling the current roll-out of the Microsoft Office Beta and Microsoft Office trial is nothing short of a joke.

I downloaded the beta edition. And I understand what beta code is and means. It worked great. Unlike many reviewers I really like what they have done with Office 2007. It’s a vast improvement.

Then I hit problem number one – As soon as Microsoft updates your system using it’s fancy “Live” software, it kills the beta. You need to go through the extruciating process of re-downloading the software. It’s a bit like being mid-way through the premiere of a good movie and someone hitting restart. Ok, I’ll put up with that.

Eventually the beta was killed all together by the trial edition. For some reason this won’t install correctly on my system. I’m stuck in a perpetual registration loop. So, the software won’t work.

No problems, I don’t mind paying for a bit of help with installing the software – I’m one of those bloggers that planned to review it without getting a notebook. But no luck there. Tech support forwards me to the product registration team who forwards me to tech support and around and around we go until some chap decides to come clean and tell me that nobody can actually help me bacuse there is no support for this product. So, having unleashed it on the unwitting public they aren’t supporting it. Classic.

No problems, I’ll just download the file conversion software. Ummm, not really. You see, it mostly works but doesn’t work with all Excel files. Microsoft in effect leaves the beta tester and trial user stranded.

I was expecting all the normal hassles from beta software. Trial software is a different gig – that’s like test driving a car. So, now I’ve gone from a fan to one pissed-off and frustruated reviewer/user – not because of the product, but because of the company. I wonder if anyone up there actually walks in the customers shoes.

Here’s a little tip. Rather than squandering your shareholders ample resources on free notebooks, how about actually communicating with your beta and trail users? Why not listen to them – and how they are experiencing the product.

And hey, rather than pimping your software by packing it in fancy notebooks and handing it out how about actually using the community’s experience, however lousy it might be, to improve the product before you ship it to millions of unwitting customers.

I’ve been posting light over the past week. Incredibly busy closing out the quarter, board meetings, getting ready for the ramp into 2007 and much more.

Thanks to you all for your friendship and support in 2006. It’s been an incredible year of opportunity and growth. Our appreciation for friends and family was only heightened with the loss of a Fleishman colleague this past week.

Thanks also to all of you that have taken the time to participate on this blog. Your genuine thoughts and comments have meant a lot.

Best wishes for 2007!

I’m on the road this week (and busy closing out the year, thus the decline in posing). Enjoyed participating in judging PR Week’s annual awards this morning. You’ll have to wait till the results are announced to hear more. Thanks to all of you how worked so hard on entries!

Off toe DC tomorrow where I will be speaking at SANS Washington.

New Line seems to have seriously underestimated the power of community and the ability of blogs and the web to provide a platform for that community to air its voice. The New York Times touches on the spat that has resulted in New Line splitting from Weta for future versions of Lord of The Rings.

“On the heels of the protest, reporters and entertainment bloggers called the studio to ask about the film’s fate. In what was once an insular club of power brokers and back-stabbers, the voices of outsiders–dancing across the globe at the speed of a modem–have begun to penetrate.”

Some advise to New Line:

1. Don’t hide behind the “legal defense”. It’s lame.

“We are in litigation with Wingnut Films, and have been unsuccessful despite a formal mediation, as well as discussions with Wingnut directly to settle the matter; therefore, we cannot comment at this point,” the studio said this week.

2. Communicate directly with the community you helped create. Do not rely on intermediaries like The New York Times.
3. Argue with evidence not hyperbole. That is what Jackson is doing to you and when the communications are direct you won’t win without it.

Link to To Web fans, Peter Jackson is the one true director | CNET News.com