Posted on 8 October 2004 under Software Development Aphorisms
Due to their work-habits, some developers are vastly more efficient than others. Similarly, work habits allow some teams to be extraordinarily more efficient than others.
Due to their work-habits, some developers are vastly more efficient than others. Similarly, work habits allow some teams to be extraordinarily more efficient than others.
Well don’t, do you want to look like a goose?
I don’t believe that hiring a weblogger to promote a company is a smart idea. Actually, I think its a pretty dumb idea. Eventually the weblogger at company X will, simply because she is human, gloss over something embarrasing for company X, ignore a burning issue or hype something a bit too much. Once this happens all credibility for the weblogger will evaporate. If the company isn’t huge then it too will suffer credibility problems. We are all pretty good at detecting marketing gloss these days. Worse for company X is that on a blog marketing gloss sticks out like the proverbials. This will make readers think they have been taken for a ride especially if the blog has actually been useful in the past. I think this is caused by us suspecting that the useful bits were simply the bait in a bait-and-switch.
What about weblogger Y, he’s been blogging for years and has credibility? Well the problem is that unless blogger Y is an absolute expert in the business and products of the company he won’t be able to tell if something is truly hypeworthy. A good example here is Robert Scoble who works for Microsoft, he was amazingly successful in generating excitement about Windows Longhorn. So successful that when Longhorn was delayed (who would have thought?), and its features were optimised, the hype he’d helped to generate simply evaporated leaving a bad taste in his reader’s collective mouths and him with a credibility gap. Robert will close the gap but it will take time. (Note: I still like and read his blog but I’m wary of things he writes about Microsoft products).
So, don’t hire a blogger as part of a corporate strategy. Basically, I think its too risky. If you can’t resist the temptation, then please try to hire someone who knows your products inside-out. Remember, we’re watching and we can smell the marketing stuff.
The start of a project is generally the most risky time during the project.