The CX Blog

Nkilkenny has some good thoughts about business blogging, and blogging in general on her latest post.  Solid stuff about voice of the contributor, the all-important genuine-ness of the contributor.  But there’s one idea I have to question: keep your comments about internal issues internal, ie, don’t air your dirty laundry publicly.

Sort of.  I mean, I get  the gist of the idea, and I pretty much agree.  For the individual who just has an all-about-me gripe with their company, there’s little value-add to be had.  But for others, like mini-microsoft, who yes have gripes but also have a treasure trove of ideas about how to improve not just products but the whole company culture, I think airing some constructive laundry is the best thing for everyone.

Yes, it’s uncomfortable–culture change is always uncomfortable.  That’s why companies often bring in consultants, so everyone can hate them instead of each other.  Mini-microsoft is anonymous to most of the world, but it’s well known that he/she is fairly high in the food chain.  He/she enjoys a better chance of actually being listened to in the blogosphere than in the meeting room.  Why?  Because he/she is viewed as coming from outside, like a consultant.  Because he/she has not only opened the topics to discussion but welcomes the outcome of a robust analysis-and-feedback loop based on the hot topics raised.

Mini-microsoft is not trying to be the voice of the company writ large, but rather the voice of the worker who envisions a much better MSFT through key cultural and infrastructure changes (less bloat, better products is one of the consistent themes).

No, I don’t think anyone really wants to hear from some disgruntled employee who’s pissed off because they didn’t get the lead role they were planning on.  But yes, I do think a lot of people–inside and out–would like to hear a real perspective on the activities of a company they already work for but would like to see do better, or might want to work for, buy stock in, or purchase products from. And that’s why mini-microsoft’s page rank is 6–go speed racer.