Microsoft Tries Blogger Outreach But How Serious Is It?
By Tom Foremski - November 17, 2008
On Monday, The Conversation Group set up a "Blogger Roundtable" for Microsoft's Online Services Group that invited leading bloggers to offer their advice on how to improve communications (please see end for who was there.)
It was an interesting exercise and although MSFT executives were quick to admit they had poor relations with bloggers I question how serious the software giant is in improving relations.
For a start, there was no one from Microsoft's several hundred strong global communications team present. I recently spoke at a large internal conference of its communications team and got great feedback and great questions, so I know they are many great people within Microsoft thinking a lot about blogger relations.
Also, Microsoft pays a fortune to its long time PR firm Waggener Edstrom yet there was no representation from this firm. I mentioned this to Ron Markezich, Microsoft VP and in charge of Online Services. "There was a guy from Wagg-Ed at the back of the room but he got bored and left a while ago," he said.
Seriously not serious . . .
Which makes me think that this exercise was not a serious attempt by Microsoft to figure out how it should relate to key influencers. This is a shame because Microsoft got some excellent advice from the group. But you can lead a horse to water...
How will that advice be translated into action if the people ultimately responsible for MSFT communications weren't present?
Another reason why Microsoft is not serious about soliciting advice: If it were serious it would pay for it.
Why is this incredibly rich corporation seeking free advice on how to better promote its products and services and to tell its stories to the world? It wants us to help it continue to make huge amounts of money (nearly $6bn in operating profits in its most recent quarter.) but is MSFT helping any bloggers to pay the rent? As far as I can see MSFT does not sponsor blogs. So if it doesn't support the blogosphere how come it is asking for support in return?
Learning from Intel . . .
Intel has assembled a group of influential bloggers of which I am a member, they are called the Intel Insiders. Intel, however, does support the blogosphere. [Intel is the main sponsor of Silicon Valley Watcher and asks for nothing in return except to host its Intel widget (see sidebar).]
Also, Intel rewards its Intel Insiders and that's what Microsoft needs to do. It needs to be like Intel and use its wealth to support the blogosphere through sponsorships and pay for the advice it gets. After all, if the advice is free then that's how it will value that advice.
If we are being asked to help Microsoft pay its rent then it should help us pay our rent and support my work and those of my colleagues in the new media. That's how Microsoft can continue to engage this community.
Social media insiders . . .
From my experience with the Intel Insiders and now Microsoft's attempts to corral a similar community of influencers, there is a business opportunity here to create an independent "social media insiders" group that could provide very valuable advice to many corporations on how to communicate in this new world.
- - -
People present today:
David Spark (as moderator)
From Microsoft:
Ron Markezich, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Online
David Howell, Director, Microsoft Online Engineering
Bharat Shah, General Manager, Microsoft Online Engineering
Eron Kelly, Sr. Director, Microsoft Online
Alex Payne, Director, Office Client Product Management
Andrew Kisslo, Sr. Product Manager, Office Client
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Comments (6)
Tom -- At some point one of the Microsoft guys said that they intentionally didn't have any AR/PR people actively participate. They wanted the product and business line people to interact directly and authentically with the bloggers. I think that actually shows they were more serious about it than just making it a "marketing program".
Regards,
Geva
Posted: November 18, 2008 12:39 AM
Geva: I think it was a mistake not to have their comms team present. They can still interact with bloggers in a natural way. There is a lot the comms teams could have learnt from the event without interfering in the process.
Posted: November 18, 2008 12:01 PM
Tom.
Many of us have been benefiting for years from your work here on SiliconValleyWatcher and from your ability to be in so many places each week, each day! That's why we asked you to join the Intel Insider program.
Prior to starting our Insider program, several from our communications team worked with you when you were at FT and believed in your bold step into the blogospher. That team sponsored your new efforts, and you helped us try out new things like: having our tiny ad link to bookmarked reviews of our first Core processors...and then the widget that lets us share video and employee stories from our blogs. You've helped us learn -- during your several visits to talk with our communications team -- and experiment and grow over the years.
As for the Insider Program, this is not a sponsorship program (more here http://tinyurl.com/6yak3k). We're hoping each of the Insiders can help us show us how to improve our relationship skills with the growing number of people who are using Intel technology to create and share media with family, friends, coworkers, customers and interest groups.
In many respects this is new to us, but then again we've been building relationships all along. By focusing more of our attention on you and the work of other Insiders through this Insider program, it certainly feels to me that we're moving ahead.
Just today we got you and the Insiders work featured on our Inside Scoop blog www.scoop.intel.com/insiders.
Posted: November 18, 2008 6:41 PM
Tom -- Well, maybe they don't trust their own PR people...
Geva
Posted: November 19, 2008 1:09 AM
Tom -
Thanks again for joining us on Monday. I wanted to weigh in a bit since I sponsored the event. Geva is right with his first post that our intent was direct conversation with the group. We felt it would show our eagerness to have the most open dialogue possible.
It's great feedback for us if you feel lack of PR firms in the room inadvertently sends the signal that it was somehow half-hearted. The spirit of the gathering was quite the opposite. We tried to balance feedback from influencers (and other vendor firms who hold similar forums) who said that the presence of a "Comms Person" sent a signal to the group that it was a controlled conversation or somehow a PR event. Sounds like you are advocating for their participation going foward which is great insight.
All the feedback is welcome. Our goal is to simply create and support a valuable forum for a sustained conversation. If the collective 'we' in the room get to learn and enjoy the conversation along the way, it's worth course correcting as we go along.
Regards,
Andrew
Posted: November 19, 2008 9:43 AM
Geva: You are probably right :-)
Andrew: Having some of the comms team present as observers is perfectly OK. If they were moderating the discussion that would be different.
It is going to be difficult for the MSFT executives to continue the "conversation." After all, they don't even have time to read our blogs or leave comments! How are they going to continue with these relationships?
Also, some of the bloggers don't even write about the enterprise space, I'm puzzled why they were there, and so were they! It all felt a little bit like "getting bums on seats" as the English saying goes (and I don't mean hobos but rather buns :-)
It smacked of "going through the motions." There was a lot of useful stuff that came out of the discussions, which the MSFT comms teams would have found very useful in improving their work. But that will probably go to waste because there wasn't even any recording made as far as I know. There was an opportunity to video the event but that was not done. Which is a shame. But let's see what the follow up is going to be like--that will show how much Microsoft wants to improve its relations with bloggers.
Posted: November 19, 2008 7:19 PM