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Dell Corporate Blog Answers

Many Voices, One Company

John Dowdell answered my corporate blogger survey in May. I was reading his answers again today.

"From the company's point-of-view, I guess my blog is an asset that offers quick response and interactivity, but it doesn't have the authority of materials which appear in the core sections of the Macromedida website itself.

(Hmm, that last point is important and could use expansion... in all my writings online over the years, whatever the format, I've been just one person who works with a group of others. I am not the group; I am just myself. The group speaks for itself on the company's website. There are dangers in "the royal we" when individuals write words... I've seen lots of people get confused about who they were, and how much they could speak for the group. The group speaks slowly, but when it does speak, it speaks authoritatively -- I can speak quickly, and speak accurately enough for myself and my own perceptions, but I cannot speak for the group as the group itself can.)"

John stated that "the group speaks for itself on the company's website". A company is a collection of different voices. Perhaps by empowering more employees by giving them blog tools. The chance that one voice will dominate the groups (company's) voice is diminished. Macromedia, MicroSoft and other companies are encouraging more of their employees to blog. How do all of these different voices together effect the direction of a company? People were not silent before blogging, but now with the new technology it is possible to hear more conversations at the same time.

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