I know I’m late to the game in posting about this, but once again I will blame all the millions of things that must be done behind the scenes to make our upcoming conference a success.
Anyway, on to the story.
A blogger writing under the nom de keyboard “Masked” has surfaced claiming to be an Apple employee working from the inside to effect change and enhance transparency.
Being an Apple fangirl, it’s kind of hard for me to be unbiased about anything involving that particular company. Their products make me want to jump up and down and squeak gleefully. Still, it stinks that Masked has to write anonymously to do what Apple’s PR department ought to be doing anyway: establishing a more open, trusting relationship with their customers. As Scoble writes, “what happens when only anonymous employees can blog? Hint: your PR will be controlled by anonymous people!”
Given Apple’s culture of opacity, Scoble says they deserve a “raft” of anonymous bloggers. I tend to agree, but not out of a desire to punish Apple for not jumping into the blogosphere. Having an anonymous blogger like Masked, who thus far appears to have both a code of ethics and a sense of goodwill toward his employer, can be a mixed blessing. It’s maddening from a PR standpoint because you’ve lost control of the message. On the other hand, you have a dedicated, capable employee who is taking the initiative to do what he thinks is best for the company: joining the conversation.
It’s possible that the appearance of Masked is the kick in the tuchus Apple needs in order to join the conversation. Still, I’ve always maintained that companies have different cultures for a reason. Apple should be able to approach blogging in its own way, and its own sweet time. In the meantime, Masked is most definitely in my RSS reader. The ball is in Apple’s court. They have to determine just how long they’re willing to let the anonymous blogging continue.
And by the way, Robert will be speaking at our conference coming up later this month (10/25-27). I have a feeling that this latest anonymous blogger will be discussed from the podium a fair amount.
{ 0 comments… add one now }