Longhorn Blogs

Microsoft employees have got onto blogging big time, being some of the most prolific bloggers on the Web. So, I’m not surprised that a couple of employees are participating in a blogging site promoting Windows XP-successor Longhorn. Near as I can tell, LonghornBlogs went live on Monday, with posts from OS evangelist Robert Scoble among others. Right now, most of the posts just rehash Longhorn news stories.

LonghornBlogs is a smart way to generate buzz about the next version of Windows. And buzz may be all Microsoft will have to offer for some time, given Longhorn isn’t expect to ship for at least two years (I’ve been saying 2006). Still, I expect quite a bit more meaningful posts at many Longhorn blogs following Microsoft’s professional developers conference later this month. That’s when Microsoft plans to release tools and other information that will help developers to prepare for Longhorn and the new Windows File System. An official, Longhorn beta version isn’t expected until sometime next year.

Circling back to blogging, I’m surprised that Microsoft employees have embraced the phenomenon, yet the company has made no aggressive move to support the technology in its software. Online old timers may recall that computer bulletin boards, newsgroups or Internet Chat Relay were the early means for online self-expression or self-publication. Then along came the World Wide Web, which in the early days, was really more about self-expression and self-publication than business or information. The popularity of linking meant that a Mosaic or Netscape user might start at one Website but end up 20 or 30 sites away before his or her reading of interesting, related information might end (OK, self-publication isn’t always a good thing; there were many boring sites, too).

The blogging phenomenon reminds me of the early Web, particularly the way information is linked or shared through RSS feeds. In fact, I would argue that blogging is, in some ways, the antithesis of Microsoft’s content model.

For example, when used right, blogging software would allow a small business to put together a fairly assessable information site, that would be easy to manage. No complicated database, Web serving or content management software required. If I worked at Microsoft on the SharePoint Portal Server team, taking a long, hard look at blogging would be a priority. And I would take a peak at what my ASP.NET colleagues had done in the area of blogging.

I also would start looking at all those blogs put up by fellow Microsoft employees. If the majority—or even just a whole bunch of them—were using non-Microsoft software to generate content, I would take a cue about the potential threat blogs and blogging software might pose to some growth areas of my business.

That’s what I would do.

By the way, Jupiter Research has done research into the blogging phenomenon. May and July reports, "The Blog Litmus: Using Blog Software to Understand Real Content Management Needs" and "Weblolg Business Practices: Seizing Business Benefits," are valuable resources for understanding blogging’s role for businesses.

Posted by Joe Wilcox at October 02, 2003 11:22 AM