Bloggers--Affiliated or Independent

“Hey, Curmudge, with respect to both kinds of bloggers, we’ve been there and done that.  We spent most of five years affiliated with an organization, and it has been several months since the old man’s cubicle was dismantled and we became independent.  But why should anyone be interested in the life and times of a blogger?  To most readers, a blog posting is simply a few paragraphs of either valuable or useless information written under someone’s real name or nom de plume.”

“The biggest reason, Julie, is because we are different.  Most blog writers are real people practicing real professions who write declarative sentences.  You and I are fictional people, and our author is a senior citizen writing conversational

sentences in an old folks home.  And we’re an excellent example of symbiosis; the old man does the thinking and we do the talking.”

“Sounds as if we might have a story.  Let’s start by describing how an affiliated or institutional blogger differs from someone in the marketing department.  Although they are both producing copy viewed as representing the organization, the work of the marketing person is directed at customers while the blogger’s postings are directed at anyone willing to read them.  The blogger’s post is signed (sort of), while marketing stuff simply emanates from the department.”

“Here, Julie, is another way to describe an affiliated blogger.  He or she might be regarded as similar to a columnist on the editorial page of a publication.  The columnist provides research and observations to support an article, but the tenor or the piece must not violate the publication’s mission statement.  And speaking of research, the blogger can study and summarize topics of interest to colleagues and to the organization.  A librarian tells ‘where it is,’ and the blogger tells ‘what it says.’ “

“And finally, Curmudge, like any material written for public consumption, the draft postings of an affiliated blogger should be edited for content, grammar, and to assure conformity with corporate policy.  That should not be difficult, because blog postings are usually not over two pages long.”

“You know, Julie, we both had a great time being affiliated bloggers.  And our 200 postings on Lean, leadership, and health care are out there in the blogosphere for anyone to read.”

“So what’s different about being independent, Curmudge?  I suspect that your answer will be ‘everything.’ “

“A big difference is that we don’t have formal or implied constraints.  That was and still is not a practical issue, because the old man continues to insist that we use good taste in what we discuss.  Now, however, we don’t hesitate to tackle a controversial topic or mention a good publication written by what used to be a competitor.”

“What about the venue where the work is done, or ‘gemba’ in Lean parlance?  It used to be a cubicle in a big room in an office building.  Now the old man’s office is in his bedroom in an apartment.”

“Well Julie, the old man’s ‘cube’ wasn’t too bad unless a neighbor was on the phone.  Otherwise, the room’s background noise was just a low hubbub—fairly conducive to reading, thinking, and writing.  He was used to that after 60 years working with people either in a classroom, lab, or office.  Now, although the apartment is everything one would want, it is as quiet as a tomb.  Although most people would like a little peace and quiet for writing, this is extreme.  Of course, there can be no camaraderie or exchange of ideas in a solitary workplace.  But the old man is getting used to it.”

“I suspect that there are other practical disadvantages for a blogger in isolation.  Being ‘out of touch’ means that local concerns and issues can’t be addressed in the blog.  An independent blogger would be unable to function without the Internet, but then again, there wouldn’t be web logs without the web.  So, Curmudge, what will the old man do in the future, and what will happen to us?”

“I suspect that we will look farther afield for topics to discuss, and the old man will do what we discussed on June 3, 2012.  He will remain an inveterate teacher and will ‘keep on a-keepin’ on’.“

Kaizen Curmudgeon