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I am not drinking the corporate Kool Aid

By Ajay Mungara (Intel) (108 posts) on May 14, 2007 at 8:57 am

In this blog post "How are Intel's Business Bloggers Chosen?", Teresa seems to suggest that either I had to go through some kind of a screening process for blogging or maybe just been drinking the corporate Kool Aid -- the answer to both is a "Big No".

I remember that back in 1998-99 I had to be specially certified to publish any piece of information or content to any Intel public website, the process of certification was to attend a couple of classes and take a online test (& score >85%).
Fast forward to 2006-07 where I have been regularly blogging on Intel Software Network and even my manager Bill Pearson has no clue what my next blog post is going to be ... but, I was asked to follow a rather some simple rules ... "be smart --- make sure you don't write stupid things that will get you fired and don't disclose confidential information in your blog post". My management encourages me to create a personal connection with my readers and use this medium to honestly communicate be it good or bad. In fact one of my colleagues Josh Bancroft runs an internal " Blogging Academy" where he encourages open communication, etc.

Please note that ... I have full control and full responsibility on what goes into my blog and Intel is not controlling this message or there is nothing like being certified or chosen to blog. Anybody who has the passion to write around Intel Technology and has a opinion he or she would like to share is welcome to blog.

Categories: Intel® Software Network 2.0

Comments (5)

May 14, 2007 10:05 AM PDT Teresa Valdez Klein

Hi, Ajay! I didn't insinuate that you -- or any of Intel's bloggers -- had been drinking the corporate Kool Aid. In fact, I wrote just that: "I don't mean to imply that Intel bloggers are required to drink the Kool Aid before they can speak." As for a screening process, all companies have them. You probably passed without even knowing that you were being screened. From my back and forth with Bryan, it seems that the screening process for blogging at Intel involves little more than a quick reality check about a potential blogger's competence, passion and general good judgment. Please don't bend my words. I was asking a simple question. Not casting aspersions.

May 14, 2007 3:02 PM PDT Ajay Mungara (Intel) Total Points: 7,582 Status Points: 7,582 Community Manager

Hi Teresa, Point well taken and you did ask a very fair question .. "how does Intel choose its business bloggers?" and now that I go back and read the kool aid part of your post .. I think I jumped the gun. Let me clarify that the point about bloggers being specially chosen is not right, because I personally try to recruit bloggers to blog on Manageability and I have not particularly followed any process. All I see is that if people write good emails & have the right passion for technology then I simply ask them to start blogging. Hope that clarifies the point.

May 15, 2007 10:55 AM PDT Josh Bancroft (Intel) Total Points: 3,492 Status Points: 2,992 Brown Belt

There's an important point to remember here, too. There is more than one blogging system at Intel. This is as it should be. There are the bloggers at blogs.intel.com. There are the bloggers at intel.com/software. There will probably be more in the future. The interview that Jeremiah did, and the subsequent article about "how Intel chooses its bloggers" was talking ONLY about the blogs.intel.com site and bloggers. Bryan Rhoads (great guy) has nothing to so with the bloggers on other Intel blogs, so maybe the confusion came from there. Ajay and I work for Intel Software Network (the first external Intel blogs, and naturally, our favorites ;-) ), in the interest of disclosure. Teresa, we'd be happy to talk to you about our approach to blogging here at ISN, to see how it compares with how Bryan runs blogs.intel.com. Drop me a line if you're interested. :-)

May 15, 2007 11:57 AM PDT Teresa Valdez Klein

Hi, Gentlemen! Thanks for your responses. I certainly understand how my original post could have been misread, and God knows I'm guilty of jumping the gun from time to time myself. I think it would be terrifically interesting to compare and contrast how Intel's different blog networks do things. Let's set something up. :-)

May 15, 2007 2:54 PM PDT Ajay Mungara (Intel) Total Points: 7,582 Status Points: 7,582 Community Manager

Teresa .. looking forward to our conversation. I would love to see your take on Blogs @ Intel Software Network. I really like to hear and the good & bad with what we are trying to do .. and I am sure there is always room for some improvement ;-)

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