Microsoft's PR agency admits it doesn't "get" blogs!

Tom Foremski has written a post on Silicon Valley Watcher about Waggener Edstrom UK boss, Paul Abrahams, admitting he doesn’t get the value of blogs.  I feel a Gerald Ratner moment coming on.    

Basically Paul Abrahams, heads up the sizeable UK office for Waggener Edstrom, Microsoft’s long standing PR firm and advises Microsoft on many strategic aspects of its Public Reputation (PR).

[Note: Microsoft is WaggEd’s largest client, and also it’s largest cash cow, a very close relationship now well into its third decade]

According to Tom, it seems Paul recently wrote a column for PR Week (UK) about the impact of blogging and in it he said. “regarding all this stuff about blogs, I just don’t get it…” Tom kindly pointed out that it might not be a good move on his part to advertise such a lack of understanding of blogs!? 

Especially given the fact that, Microsoft had lost its top blogger Robert Scoble not too long ago, and there was much discussion about whether the software giant understood the value of Mr Scoble’s incredible work in presenting the company in a favorable light.

“Mr Scoble created many millions of dollars in positive publicity for Microsoft, on a salary of less than $100K. I don’t think WaggEd could have done a fraction of that, for 100 times the payment Mr Scoble received!”

Again according to Tom “Maybe WaggEd UK does understand the value of blogging and wants to shut it down before it cuts into its lucrative earnings from Microsoft?” But wait on the WaggEd’s website their is a blog by someone called Frank X?

It seems Waggener Edstrom Worldwide President, Frank X. Shaw, who leads the Microsoft team at the agency [that’s him in the picture below] and who is ultimately responsible for all global PR efforts across the account has a blog!?

Furthermore according to Frank’s blog, “Frank is an avid follower of the blogosphere and tracks the impact bloggers have on corporate reputations, stock fluctuations, crisis situations and product launches. Frank began writing a daily blog for Waggener Edstrom Worldwide employees in April 2003. He covers a variety of topics on the agency’s intranet relating to innovative public relations and the technology industry, and offers a witty perspective on “water cooler” subjects.”

I guess Paul doesn’t read it then. Thankfully Frank knows what to do about corporate reputations and stock fluctuations, as a result of poor PR in the blogosphere.

I have just subscribed to Frank’s blog and now look forward to his “witty” post on the matter of why WaggEd UK doesn’t see the value in blogging. 

Maybe WaggEd UK can track their public reputation across the blogosphere using this blogging tool – opinmind. Also very conveniently opinmind has a RSS feed to the track any updates to the WaggEd page. Right now Paul your off-the-hook, according to opinmind’s sentimeter everything is ok.    

      

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