connecting*the*dots

(originally uploaded by monkeyc.net)

Either they want to get a piece of the blogosphere action or they want to shut it down. It’s the only way suits think: M&A with synergistic bottom line results or a hostile takeover to sell off business units.

One way or the other, it’s all about market disruption, marginalizing competition and turning a profit… within the current structure of corporate power and operations, of course.

Think I’m being a bit dramatic? Read this Forbes article titled, Attack Of The Blogs. Once you get the taste of corporate bile in your mouth, read the Fighting Back article. It’s enough to make you question our common humanity.

After absorbing the tone of Daniel Lyons article, you can see what this kind of advice does for the C-Levels who maintain the status quo profit structure. With all of the progressive business thinking going on in today’s world, it’s actually a pretty sad and sick relationship if you ask me.

A few weeks ago I posted about Technorati getting into bed with Edelman PR. Dave Sifry, the CEO of Technorati, commented within an hour of it going live. Now, I perceive that to be an example of a smart CEO tracking his brand in the blogosphere, joining conversations to provide transparency. But now, after reading the Fighting Back article, I’m actually wondering whether he came back at me with the first play from that playbook:

MONITOR THE BLOGOSPHERE. Put your own people on this or hire a watchdog (Cymfony, Intelliseek or Biz360, among others). Spot blog smears early, before they can spread, and stamp them out by publishing the truth.

On a personal level, I don’t know Dave Sifry from Adam, but the guy gave me his cell phone number at the end of his comment (since removed), so I’d like to believe that he’s on the right side of the revolution.

I guess this Forbes article is giving me corporate employment flashbacks, as it completely represents the old business model philosophy of mainstream, conservative, corporate America: stiff, pragmatic, rooted, closed and “we’ll take out your kneecaps if you fuck with our way of life.”

Joe Trippi, the Cluetrain Gang and Stuart Butterfield are all spot on. It’s beginning to look like Forbes and company all went through the No Child Left Behind program — they can’t understand the potential of extrapolating the philosophies of sharing.

UPDATE: Frederico is upset about this as well. And I found another one of these “corporate boys are scared as hell” articles. Check out The Mercury News article, An Internet fed mostly by amateurs is frightening.

(articles via Boing Boing and Crossroads Dispatches)