What did the blog-o-sphere learn form StudiVZ?
After the huge amount of critique that existed in the blog-o-sphere has been partially refuted and commented by the StudiVZ founders (see their comment on their finances, see Ehssan Dariani’s apology for his personal mistakes), and after I have written how fast the StudiVZ founders have learned from the blog-o-sphere, it is time now to ask: what have the bloggers have to learn from StudiVZ.
An interesting article at Sammelsurium argues that the accusation by the blog-o-sphere was effective, but resembles a modern method of a public witch trial. The article also claims that the image of the StudiVZ founders is ruined for years and maybe soon legal procedures need to be found to erase false accusations by the blog-o-sphere.
In my own comment, I have tried to refute some of these arguments. Though I agree that the “Small-Bloggerville”-pressure on companies to behave correct is very strong. But StudiVZ is using a large amount of very sensible data and their most important product is communication. If somebody does not communicate professionaly towards users, media and investors, they will in the long run not succeed. The blog-o-sphere only reduces the half-time of such corporations.
Maybe soon courts will have to deal with the accusations made by the blog-o-sphere. I have tried to replicate what speculations were forming in the blog-o-sphere, but as can be seen now, not all rumours were totally correct. I have tried to update the information available on my site as fast as possible.
Sure enough, both the bloggers and the PR companies will become more professional. Sure enough this will also take some edge out of the power of the bloggers. Today bloggers are the only power that can combat bad PR, Fakeblogging, Viral Marketing etc. Traditional Journalism are less and less capable of combatting the PR of corporations.
I think there is no need to worry about the StudiVZ founders. There are quite a few which have made grade mistakes in the New Economy bubble, but are now back in the business. What the StudiVZ makers went through in the last weeks and what they have learned has to be balanced against their reputation. And people will generally carefully observe both sides.
The most important thing is: new start-ups will have to learn from the StudiVZ case, and venture capitalists will have to learn as well. Nothing can be kept secret in the blog-o-sphere – and that’s very good. In the end, the whole affair is positive for all sides and it was necessary and productive that StudiVZ was discussed in the blog-o-sphere.
November 16th, 2006 at 13:01
Hmm, do you realy think that these two articles on the studivz blog are the end of the story? Maybe you have mentioned that the last one wasn’t writen by Ehassan and the one before seemed to have been writen by a PR expert. Have they really learned? I don’t think so. From my point of view the pressure from the financial investores became too strong. What a coincidence that they started this a day before an articel on Spiegel Online has been published. I DO NOT BELIVE IN COINCIDENCES!
Your resumee comes much too early!
But neverteles its an interesting diskussion about the role of the blogosphere in the “StudiVZ Case”. Maybe the role of Technorati and the internationalization (I mean you obviously write here in Englisch) is also worth a mention.
November 16th, 2006 at 19:11
“Nothing can be kept secret in the blog-o-sphere – and that’s very good.” sounds a little bit to much in good faith for me
Blogs do not know anything about what they do not know.