"But conceptually, journalists are more impartial because they're not trying to sell something."

I'm glad you said conceptually. Because realistically it's increasingly difficult to divine that from the biased ramblings of many mainstream "journalists".

Got any stats about how trusted Microsoft's company blogs are compared to others? I find Microsoft's blogs pretty authoritative, but I'm biased - I work there. I'd be interested to know where we stand. From the linked blog post it appears the survey covered a broad range of companies, not just tech.

Also interesting would be the per-blogger stats; it sounds funny to hear you say "microsoft bloggers" as if we were a cohesive whole - sure, we have our share of team blogs that spew PR, but we also have our Raymond Chens. Is there any correlation between popularity and trustworthiness?

Anyway, interesting article, even if it did make me feel a little unfairly impugned - heck, that probably is part of what makes it good! *grin* I do see the conceptual space between blogger and journalist as more of a continuum rather than the black and white you imply - there are bloggers who are transparent about their motives and rigorous in their impartiality; and there are journalists who practice dispicable subterfuges to achieve their covert agendas.

PR doesn't approve my blog, nor do they drive me to do anything with it that I don't want to. It is a tool for me to build a connection with the community, customers and partners that my team serves. I think more of the MSFT corp blogs are like mine and less are about being psuedo-PR machines.

Joe says:
"My concern: Blog operations that are way too cozy with their advertisers or, worse, the companies they write about. Worst are those bloggers who invest in the very companies they write about. These people have agendas, too, and they're not so far removed from company PR bloggers. You know who you are."......................

Here in this we are clearly referring to "company PR bloggers" as Microsoft being the said company. Personally, I have found used car salesmen to sometimes be a lot more honest than Microsoft company bloggers, take for instance, example the De La Coaster astroturfer. The fact that Micro$oft uses so many paid bloggers just to comment here in the comments, has to say something about why they don't get it and are losing market share. Microsoft needs to get off the PR war, and start making a better Windows product.

As far company PR bloggers, Butts, ou know who you are, (George, and Ed) have not an idea who they might be. LOL

Bruce Williams wrote: "Got any stats about how trusted Microsoft's company blogs are compared to others?"

That's a question for Forrester, Bruce, and it's a good one. What if people trust or, gulp, distrust Microsoft blogs more? Nobody loves journalists, so consider being untrusted better than being hated.

My apologies for making you feel "unfairly impugned." These posts don't always fully reflect my personal opinions, so the tone is harsher than my own feeling. Overall, there is too much PR in Microsoft employee blogs. That said, there are many Microsoft employee blogs I enjoy and look forward to reading.

My favs are those that look at bigger industry trends, like what Dare Obasanjo does. That kind of outside-of-Microsoft blogging is more credible to me, and I tend to believe him more when he blogs on Microsoft stuff.

Joe

I'm terribly disappointed in this report. Josh chose to throw some 'link bait' out and everyone is hooked. Reading his analysis thoroughly provides some more insight - that it's really 'companies' that people don't trust and blogs have been seen as an extension of that.

The real reason behind this is strategy. Companies have been listening to a bunch of publishers and Web 2.0 'experts' that tout fuzzy crap like 'engagement' because they can't figure out how to measure blogging ROI (Forrester tried, too). There are absolute revenue-generating strategies that companies can utilize and measure. Sorry, Microsoft doesn't leverage blogging effectively either (Mac vs. Vista anyone?).

Josh also fails to make a SINGLE mention of the SEO benefits of corporate blogs, nor does he mention consumer behaviors and search when it comes to converting. Not a SINGLE mention of Search!!!! Any blogger worth his weight in gold will tell you that this is a search acquisition game. Great placement builds traffic, authority, and eventually conversions. We have 300 clients to prove it.

Link bait. It's unfortunate to see a half-ass report like this come out of Forrester simply to generate some 'buzz'.

I'm not exactly sure how sound this is.

I recently completed just such a survery for YouGov (a well respected pollster) and I claimed not to trust a "corporate" blog - meaning, to me, "a blog run by a committee of people in an organization, to represent that organization."

I mentally excluded all those technical blogs I read, written by individuals, often expressing views that vary somewhat from the company's line-to-take. Including (almost) all of those Microsoft employee bloggers that I read.

I'd be interested to know the answer to Bruce's question as well.

Nobody pays me to write a blog or make comments on other people's. I know a fair few people who write blogs because they want to, not because anyone is paying them to do so. I don't know anyone who is paid to write a blog for MS.

I'm not saying that there aren't any, but they're certainly the minority.

I don't have anybody in PR reading my blog to make sure what I'm saying fits the company message. In fact, judging from the numbers of views, they probably don't even know I exist.

What I find interesting is that 60% people trust customer reviews. I know for a fact that a lot of reviews come from the manufacturers and retailers.

@Douglas - I agree 100%, the corporate blogs are all about search. What I find funny is that you chastise Josh, yet you admit to doing the same thing as him (ie. link baiting). I think link baiting is a growing industry. Even Joe's main job is to attract links via journalism. If you are not link baiting then you are content seeding which is the same thing, its not like you are doing it out of the goodness of your heart (you have 300 customers to prove it!).

I think this is way overstated.

Non-MS bloggers with lots of skills and trustworthiness outnumber any MS PR-oriented blogs.

Many MS staff write fantastic blogs which actually contain useful information as a form of hype. For example, Scott Guthrie can't be expected to do anything but hype Microsoft, but he does it by providing a lot of useful information.

I am not a MS fan.
I only use MS products because I must.

@Billybob - I am guilty as charged, I do often linkbait to get traffic. :) I suppose I believe in the double-standard,though. I don't expect this from Forrester. They are supposed to be providing companies with useful and thorough advice. This title was irresponsible because the article was not thorough nor was the title accurate.

I trust Linux Fanboy Tech Bloggers and Mac Fanboy Tech Bloggers to constantly criticize everything Microsoft. (grin)

No, I am not including you in those groups.

I find Microsoft blogs that are authored by developers and evangelists to be authoritative and very helpful in my daily work as a developer and writer.

On the other hand, I take blogs by program and general managers with a grain (and sometimes handfuls) of salt.

--rj

Why did I waste my time reading this?

Its funny how a deluge of bloggers suddenly feel the need to comment with their url :).

What I find very revealing about Microsofts blogs is that they do not use the rel="nofollow" attribute, leading to loads of spam posts. It shows they really do not understand it all.

@Douglas, you make money selling blogging software to companies. Forrester makes money selling reports. They have actually done a study and there's nothing wrong with promoting it, just like there is nothing wrong with you putting a sponsored link at the bottom of all your posts.

You should be asking yourself why people do not trust these blogs rather than complaining about how the results are marketed. Personally I find corporate blogs very dry and lacking in any constructive criticism. Blogs by people at companies who are given free reign normally attract more attention and better posts (ie. Mini Microsoft).

If the blogs are only for search engines, then it should not be too much surprise that they are not trusted. It does not matter if the public do not trust them since they are not aimed at people.

P.S. Your categories list has a little kw stuffing smell to it, which is depressing because I don't expect this from you ;)

Typical BS from Joe.

The Microsoft blogs are some of the most informative in the IT industry. Microsoft does an admirable job of improving their transparency.

Do you think Apple, or Google does a better job ?

Your column on the other hand is something I truely do not trust !

Joe, I guess you didn't actually read the report that you are blogging about, only its summary. The actual report highlights a few companies whose blogs ARE considered trustworthy by those surveyed. Guess what? Microsoft is one of those.

To quote the Blog Council about this (at
http://blogcouncil.org/blog/here-are-a-few-trustworthy-corporate-blogs/

"What’s clear is that while there is a lot of work still to do, corporate blogs do work. The report specifically highlighted some examples of corporate blogs that are trustworthy — Dell, Rubbermaid, and Microsoft (all Blog Council members, by the way) — because they put their customer first and exist to help solve their problems. We completely agree."

I agree 100% with Roger Jennings.

This is a gross overgeneralazation: "People do not trust company blogs."

Tech blogs are only a small smidgeon of what is out there. So to base the state of affairs of a small fraction on the whole is rather short sighted.

Most people don't read company blogs so yes for the majority it is easy to say they don't trust company blogs because they have found no utility in using company blogs.

LOL
Look at them all come out of the woodwork! The most dishonest thing about this is, is that they cannot admit that there are restrictions placed on them as to what they can say. As much as I enjoy reading what Jess has to say for example, I doubt if she would praise an MS alternative on her blog, ever. If she cant, then she's not "free to speak" (sorry to use you as an example Jess)
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I work for a small software house, I use a handle as I dont want my posting integrity compromised by having to tow the company line, despite what any MS blogger says, thats obvious even to the most brainwashed shiller. I wont link my site, and if people find it, fine.
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What is more amazing is that Andre is lost for words, and ive said before, that man could put a positive spin on the end of the world, (oh Andre, I did respond to your outragous Netbook claims on the other post, however it had links disputing what you were saying and is still being "moderated")
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When Josh says "Most people don't read company blogs so yes for the majority it is easy to say they don't trust company blogs because they have found no utility in using company blogs."
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That is a very true statement, however there are many here that post as an individual when really they represent something else. Due to the antics of certain companies, paying bloggers & giving away laptops, there is doubt put on any pro-proprietary blogger and I think in trying to peddle their wares with a paid opinion, they have infact ruined any chance of independent and honest held praise being believed.

Interesting article Joe.

BTW: Obviusly those most 'emotionally stirred' (due to feeling mentioned) will have the most severe reactions.

If a corporate blog (no matter what company is behind it) actually helps or provides some kind of insight or explains something to help people or make them get something useful out of the blog...fine.

If it is spewed with worthless hype and exaggerated claims...then it is nothing but a commercial.

I read various Linux blogs where they review (and praise and pan) software and equipment or give experiences of how things work. I found them to be fairly honest.

I guess the easiest way to find out if a particular corporate blog is a commercial or just commentary. Read the other older blogs from the company and see if they are all pointing to same direction about how great the company is and how their products are wonderful and useful...when you see a lot of the blogs all say the same thing then it is nothing but a commercial.

Companies are free to make or produce paid commercial blogs anyway they wish, I just wish they were more upfront about it.

Sometimes you will see press releases disguised as blogs...at least for the sake of fairness...they should have full disclosure.

Press releases and paid blogs can be useful if someone is looking for a particular product. Much like the Sunday newspapers have advertisements which save consumers money by showing them whats on sale.

But a disclaimer would be a nice touch for all blogs that seem to promote a particular product or company...

If someone received a laptop or free software and then proceeded to review it...whoever they might be...please disclose that fact.

Quote "Sometimes you will see press releases disguised as blogs...at least for the sake of fairness...they should have full disclosure."
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Completely agree, and when I first started using Open source 100% and getting into its various communities I honestly believed that the Net was full of honest people, blogs were blogs and all commercial sites told the truth.
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I wouldnt be the argumentative, annoying, Linux shill (and whatever else people want to call me) if I hadnt discovered after a short while that the ethos of "open & honest" open source community is not shared by all, especially those who lurk on the net with the specific purpose of promoting proprietary at any cost.
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I am not against proprietary at all, if it offers value for money and functionality then I celebrate it for giving users options. Sadly though that is not always the case, whilst 99% of readers here will be able to tell a generalizing sweeping statement, based on half facts, there are some who will not. For those users who do buy into some of the proprietary propaganda, the posters of it will always exist as there will always be money to be made from the "easily led people"
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IMO we will never get full honesty or disclosure and IMO it is why an employee of a proprietary software firm will never be able to make an independent view known (unless doing so anon), we can only hope that everyone fully researches ANY opinion on the net and comes to their own conclusions.
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The trouble is with disclaimers is that there is no way to police it (IMO). Even if legislation was brought in, I wonder how many "honest" opinions on the net have been bought?

Goblin :wrote

"The trouble is with disclaimers is that there is no way to police it (IMO). Even if legislation was brought in, I wonder how many "honest" opinions on the net have been bought?"
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I am against any sort of legislation, although I thought someone mentioned (I think here on Microsoft Watch) that paid comments (astroturfers) might have to make some kind of disclosure due to some rule.

If the blogger/commenter wants credibility from the readers, then full disclosure is a must.

I constantly review the master Microsoft developer blog roll at blogs.msdn.com.

I pull great information from this all the time.

The blogs of Microsoft developers are a great way to get inside info into the functioning of the platforms that Microsoft makes, and also a tremendous resource for questions not answered via Google or Microsoft documentation.

I think that the poll above is a little skewed, and is not targeted enough at niche communities (i.e. Windows software engineers) to be a valid indicator of the usefulness of Microsoft's blogging effort.

I for one think that the developer blogs that Microsoft has are head and shoulders over what every other company produces, and I hope that they keep it up.

Well Joe, I got to hand it to you. You got the Softies and some of their astroturfers coming out of the woodwork on this article. Sadly, about all they can say to refute your post, is how great they are. Which is the typical BS from the number one all the way down is that company of "salesmen," Too bad they forgot how to turn out a decent product, and to cover their tracks they now blog and lie about it.

"What I find very revealing about Microsofts blogs is that they do not use the rel="nofollow" attribute, leading to loads of spam posts. It shows they really do not understand it all."

It shows they use Community Server blog platform is all. Reading that much into it is a huge huge stretch.

Quote Batgar "I for one think that the developer blogs that Microsoft has are head and shoulders over what every other company produces, and I hope that they keep it up."
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LOL
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Does that not prove the point completely about trustworthy posting?

Goblin et al - I find it more telling that we Microsoft employees on this thread are using our real names, and you bashers are hiding behind pseudonyms. Which do you think folks find more trustworthy?

@Bruce Williams
Thats a very good point and Im pleased you brought it up.
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You havent really thought about your comment have you?
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I use a handle due to the fact I dont want to have to tow the company line. I can keep my posting integrity by being anon.
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Now it could be argued that if you are an MS employee and if you are using your real name, it would be very silly to post anything against the company you work for, on that basis its not unreasonable to suggest that your comments are the company line.
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If however you were an admitted MS employee with a handle like "Goblin" you may find people having a little more worth in what you were saying, due to the fact that you COULDNT be identified.
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Then we have the other type of Pro-ms poster (no names mentioned) these people want to be identified when they post their pro MS propaganda or otherwise how will they get an MVP or one of those juicy rewards they hear so much about. Its no good for them to be anon and pro-ms. Like I say, to alot of people the concept of supporting something without financial reward is an alien concept.
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Im also glad you say "Which do you think folks find more trustworthy?" Its been proved that many shillers do use multiple handles , anon or not, if you would like I can link you to reputable sites that have reported on this.
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If youre going to try to imply that me or any other "alternatives" supporters have a more sinister motive (like the proved shiller's) you are going to have to try alot harder than that. I make no secret of my cowardice to give my real name.

@Bruce
I hope you have read my previous comment and would like to hear your opinions.
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I did you the courtesy of clicking on your link and found IMO that it confirmed a disturbing trend which Ive seen on MS Employee blogs in the past.
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Is it company policy to ask you to post personal photographs and details on your blog? Does MS encourage this in the hope that it will appeal on a "human" level to would be customers?
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I notice that your "raves" are all about MS products and it is my opinion that your entire blog is intended as a promotion of some image of "one big happy MS family" (and also confirms what I was saying about company line)
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I do not believe it is appropriate for an MS employee who is promoting MS products to have a site like this. Of course if you want a blog with your family activities and photo's why not have it elsewhere without a connection to your MS background?
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Whilst Im sure your family pictures are of interest to your friends, I dont see the relevance to the average user here who may click on your link.
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I could be forgiven for thinking you are encouraged to blog in this way to put MS in a better light.
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I would be very interested to hear views from readers here that have clicked on Bruce's blog.
Bruce, being a family man myself, I cannot understand why you would want to place personal photographs so publically, and especially in a forum where the subject at hand is computing.

Whoops, you found me out. Microsoft does in fact require me to spend an hour each day blogging my false enthusiasm for the people and products with which I spend so much time and effort. They also require me to post misleadingly-positive non-work-related posts and images, all in an effort to hide how truly miserable I am working for Microsoft. What you might not know is that Microsoft actually arranged my marriage and children, specifying their sex and race. (All those gay couples at Microsoft? Not by choice, my friend!) The hidden pentaverate that really runs Microsoft controls every aspect of my existence, and I can only guess that they will interce

Very clever. Im pleased you can be so flippant about an observation that is my opinion.
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I dont like the tone of your post either, and would suggest that it hardly paints a good picture, when you can be so flippant.
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You havent answered or responded to any of the points Ive made and instead tried to fudge the issue with sillyness.
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To be fair, you havent even commented on my original post about the anon handle Lets be honest, If I had hit on some truths, the post you made above would be the type I would expect.
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Please, lets discuss this sensibly, or not at all.
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If you want to justify your blog and the material contained therein, great lets discuss it, not posting comments like the ones above.

In all seriousness:

I understand your position on being anonymous. I don't see it as black-and-white, however. If you are anonymous, you can speak truths without getting in trouble; but you can also speak lies without being held accountable. While I can see cases where anonymity is necessary, I prefer transparency where possible. Anyone who questions my sincerity can check up on me, see what else I've written in the past, even call me or come visit me if their pursuit of the truth is so strong.

Microsoft bloggers will, most of the time, post positive things about Microsoft and its products. This may be because they genuinely like the company and its products. It may be their job to say those things. They may be pressured by their management to say those things. In my case, it is purely #1 - as a Microsoft test engineer, talking to you, or anyone else on the web, is nowhere in my job description. That's probably why I'm so annoyed your statements - while I'm sure their are some PMs who are in case #2, and have blogging in their commitments, I'm not one of them, so it bugs me when you imply I'm some kind of shill. Your presumption that it is #3 for all Microsoft bloggers and commenters is demeaning - I have never seen any hint that people are forced to write something they personally don't believe on their blog.

Personally, I just subscribe to the tech blogs, and don't subscribe to the press release ones. I trust everyone else is wise enough to do the same.

I specifically have my blog somewhere *other* than blogs.msdn.com because I talk very little about Microsoft and its products there. I talk instead about my interests and enthusiasms, which does include my family. I include my blog link on comments like this because I'm vain enough to think that folks who find this article interesting (like I do) might also find the other stuff I like interesting as well.

The reason I posted so flippantly is because I began to suspect that you were simply a troll, trying to get my goat - the name 'Goblin' was a hint. I figured if you were having fun, I might as well have some fun, too. If you are not actually a troll, and want my honest opinion, then I apologize, and hope the comment above is useful to you.

thanks for the reply, but firstly a little look at 90 percent of the threads in this week alone would have revealed that i am infact not. I will accept your apology and presume you must be new here, as i dont think any regular readers will have failled to notice my numerous and lengthy posts.
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I merely made an opinion, however I would not seek to present my opinions as facts, and I would hope people draw their own conclusions.
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I think we can both agree anon or not posters can be deceptive, afterall i could make a blog with a "real" name and post some snaps of people on it , claiming that was really me. You brought up the subject and suggested that there was more integrity in a name rather than a handle, i merely challenged it.
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What puzzles me now is the fact that by your own admition you have a separate family blog. Thats fine, but i find myself asking again why you feel on a forum such as this linking to a blog which identifies you and associates you with personal pictures. If your friends and family look at your personal blog elsewhere, what possible interest do you think your snaps have to readers here? That is my point. Joe has made a valid comment about lack of trust in corporate blogs. That is what we are discussing.
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i am guessing we are roughly the same age bracket, as ive said before i work for a small software house developing proprietary solutions for small business and using MS products to do it. Why choose Goblin? well its such a common word and is linked to so many things, it certainly hides the identity I am too much of a coward to reveal. The concept of making my personal life available for all to see is something I would never consider doing even if i was towing the company line. Maybe that is a opinion we will never agree on.
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I am sure you have many worthwhile things to say, but unfortunately for me, the fact that you admit you work for MS and the fact that you are NOT anon, means that I will never read your posts as anything other than being MSs company line. Thats me, others may disagree.
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Ive been called many things in the past, the one i find the funniest is Linux fanboy. Even if that were true, doesnt it say something that we dont get any MS fanboys here? Could it be that MS has nothing on offer for people to get fanboyish about?

Posting my personal blog is mostly just habit - whenever I see that 'url' box on comment entry I put my spaces page - its the only one I have. It has family pictures, but also postings on various subjects and ideas that interest me.

Thats fair enough.
Difference of opinion, and I believe the problem for me is that you would want to associate your affiliation and this site with it.
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Moving on a little, lets consider the issue of people trusting corporate blogs.
Lets imagine for a minute that Ballmer has a personal blog, he posts pictures of his family and raves about his hobbies and MS products.
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The reason why I think that corporate blogs or employee blog are not believed is because we all know that whilst Ballmer champions MS (and so he should in his position) we also know that if tomorrow he suddenly went to work for Apple (for eg) he would be championing them instead and probably rubbishing MS at the same time.
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This to me is the reason why they dont work, I believe that one is always going to favour the company one works for (in particular if youre an identified poster) that to me is a no brainer, and also why I can hold very little worth in the writings on them (even if they follow the tips here of making your blog more believable)
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Posting about something which you base your livelyhood on can never be a healthy mix for honest posting (IMO) and whilst Im sure it does happen, for me there is always a cloud of doubt hanging over someone who does.

i keep getting this vvizard set up thing i tried all avenues and cant get rid of it hovv do i do this thank you

brill site this www.microsoft-watch.com great to see you have what I am actually looking for here and this this post is exactly what I am interested in. I shall be pleased to become a regular visitor :)