THE BLOGGING CASE STUDIES CONCLUSIONS (Cont.)

MICROSOFT – According to the Microsoft blogger interviewed, with Microsoft's existing channels of customer support and it is sometimes difficult for customers to get a message through to the person responsible for making a software change at Microsoft, but blogs appear to be helping the customers interract more directly. Using the example of a spelling mistake, we see that a customer could not get through to a programmer who would be able to make a spelling correction. A number of customers have their own blogs, when the customer blogged about the issue on their own blog, Microsoft bloggers picked up the issue and responded to the bug in their software immediately.

The Microsoft blogger in the case study described how Microsoft is in the midst of developing strategies for dealing with complaints and reports of software issues discussed on blogs and on the web in general. Several departments and individuals in Microsoft are already monitoring the web for such complaints, but these are efforts by individuals undertaken under their own recognizance. Blogs are helping Microsoft to redefine their approach to that of "customer focus" from "goal focus" through one on one interaction with customers. Our Microsoft blogger reported on three examples of customer feedback, product bug reporting, receiving new ideas and how this demonstrates Microsoft is using blogs to converse with customers.

Previously, the Microsoft blogger reported product builders at Microsoft didn't understand their customers' needs, as were not able to receive many complaints. Blogs are helping Microsoft to gather customer feedback and in the process, become more customer focused. Using blogs, individual Microsoft departments are changing the culture of Microsoft to one of openness and transparency. Sometimes that transparency means that customers and even employees will criticize Microsoft. The new management thinking at Microsoft is that such criticism is good as Microsoft then has the opportunity to react, respond and learn from customer feedback. With blogs, communicating that response quickly and effectively has become a lot easier in the last few years. Customers are delighted that Microsoft is listening and responding to customer suggestions quickly.

MACROMEDIA – According to the Macromedia blogger interviewed, blogs have produced a radical change in culture at Macromedia. Macromedia's core domain expertise, development of their software products, has been entirely changed by blogging.

Early on at Macromedia, blogs were thought of as a way to get information out quickly to customers and help build a bigger community by being more open and transparent. Slowly Macromedia developed the strategy that exists today, openly asking for product development ideas early in the software development process.

Before blogs at Macromedia, a few years ago, the product development process was much more closed, there was some customer interaction, but basically most product development work was completed in-house. Through the use of blogs Macromedia has changed the process, it is much more open and transparent.

Macromedia management realized that by letting their customers get involved at an early stage, customers would be more committed to purchasing the product and referring Macromedia products on their own blogs and in discussions with other colleagues. Macromedia had to open up the software development process to build that greater sense of customer involvement in product development.

Once taken, the risk has produced big results for Macromedia:

• Lots of online PR, where customers have become brand evangelists and write about Macromedia products on their blogs.
• Higher search engine rankings - lots of links to Macromedia's blogs and website from other blogger's sites.
• A more committed core group of customers willing to buy and evangelize Macromedia product on their own volition.
• Effectively blogging has developed more sales and better products for Macromedia.

Macromedia's strategy is to focus their blogging efforts on 50-60 blogs. The company directs its bloggers to only write when there is something of value to say to customers, typically this means writing about their products, we contrast Macromedia's strategy with that of Microsoft and IBM. Both Microsoft and IBM encourage many people to blog. However, according to the IBM blogger interviewed IBM does not yet have any external blogs where bloggers are writing about any particular IBM product development process. While Microsoft is learning that product feedback is helping to improve their products, the interview with the Microsoft blogger did not reveal that Microsoft has changed its software development process as yet; we do know that several departments are attempting to achieve more openness and transparency through their use of blogs.