The Changing Face of Microsoft

One of my favorite BlogOn panels was on business transparency. Not only did it introduce me to Six Apart’s articulate Anil Dash , but it spotlighted Microsoft’s Channel 9 , a rapidly growing four-month-old blogsite making apparent progress at bringing Redmond and its often estranged developer community closer together rapidly. Developer comments are posted without filtration and answered with honesty. It is the best example I know of demonstrating blogging tools powering new enterprise applications that bring companies and their constituencies closer together.

It got me to thinking though about the changing face of Microsoft. Their three panelists Lenn Pryor , Jeff Sandquist , and the inimitable Robert Scoble are bright, informal guys who are hard to dislike. It dawned on me that just about everyone I know at Microsoft fits that description, in marked contrast to the self-serving, dark & nasty legacy image that afflicts the company. My Microsoft friends are on varied levels, but I find they share certain commonalities. Each is passionate, competent, smart as hell, self-effacing and by necessaity--thick-skinned.

As Microsoft’s blogging evangelist, Scoble is emerging to have a special role in Microsoft’s dynamic relationship with a constituency that includes just about everyone with a computer. He’s a teddy bear with feisty tendencies. He tells it like it is, apparently free from the muzzle of Microsoft marketing brass. People like what he has to say and they like the way he says it.

By contrast, Gates, the world’s most generous philanthropist has passed the point where he will ever be beloved or believed. From a business perspective, no one is ever so powerful for this not to matter.

But now there’s blogging and the Scoble’s rapid emergence to being a measurable and positive boost to Microsoft’s damaged image. There’s over 1000 Microsoft employees blogging and the impact makes a difference. Look at some of the lesser known voices like Andy Ruff http://www.runons.com/ an evangelist for Microsoft’s Apple products group in Silicon Valley. They’re putting out good stuff and the needle is starting to move.

The result is Microsoft has a changing face and the new one is repairing damage. The company faces challenges in nearly every direction. But representatives like Scoble, Pryor and Sandquist are players to be watched for their impact is steadily rising.

Comments

[Robert Scoble]

Those are overly kind things you've said about me. Thanks!

[shel Israel]

Overly Kind? Are you accusing a recovering publicist of exagerating?

[john cass]

Hi Shel,

It is my understanding that the growth of blogging at Microsoft is very organic. Individuals and departments are making their own decisions on when to start a blog. Though I do think having an evangelist (Rober Scoble) and some guidelines "don't be stupid" have helped blogging to take off like wildfire in the company.

What I want to know is this: How are those bloggers changing the culture in Microsoft? Does a Microsoft blogger have more of a platform to distribute ideas within the company? Can anyone tell me of any examples of an idea spreading from a blog post in Microsoft that eventually changed the company's policy or direction?

John

[Shel]

This is a very good question and I don't know the answer. I'm forwarding it on to Robert to see what he has to say.