As You Show, So Shall You Reap
Mar
The culture of openness and humility has no better precedent than the Internet and social media specifically.
Two incidents in the past week are worth mentioning.?
Michael Arrington’s post The Rules Apply To Everyone and Jermiah Owyang’s A Public Apology to Mzinga are clear examples that admitting you’re human and (therefore) capable of erring can go a long way.?
Arrington’s post was less apology and more disclosure- oriented, where he ultimately – in a pretty resigned tone – shared the various levels of conflict he and TechCrunch have been subjected to. In his words:
Back to transparency, one change I’m going to make at TechCrunch is to get rid of all of our investment conflicts. I’ve long been an angel investor and have continued to make a very few investments even after starting TechCrunch. These investments are always disclosed and in my opinion we do more than enough to maintain transparency there. But it’s also a weak point that competitors and disgruntled entrepreneurs use to attack our credibility. So over the next few months I’m going to divest myself of all of those investments in an orderly fashion, and I’ll update readers on the progress. I’ll also discontinue making any further investments.
Jermiah’s blog post served a different purpose: it was an outright apology to Mzinga for making public some unverified news. Says he on his blog:
Yesterday, I wrote a blog post about Mzinga. Although I had the best intentions, I posted without complete enough information, which was a mistake on my part.
I apologize to Mzinga for any problems this has caused for them. As soon as I get the complete information from Mzinga, I will share it with you.
I know that I have influence in the space and need to make sure that I do so responsibly.
The comments are open, and I will continue to read and absorb all of the thoughtful and tough feedback, I’m listening.
I’m no position to speculate about the stand taken by both (right/wrong/should have/shouldn’t have). But it is interesting to note that both Arrington and Owyang are experts in their space, with a following running into thousands. And still, after years of being in the business, the keywords from their communication appear to be: transparency, humility, listening, responsibility…
Such an open attitude to admitting failure, sharing one’s truth, appearing vulnerable can and will do wonders for their online image in the long run.?
Lessons for all of us tech and social media enthusiasts. And kudos to these two for being honest and real.
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Comments
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March 20th, 2009 | Jeremiah Owyang says:
Thank you for taking the time to write this. The lessons learned will not go escaped. I’ve been covering this space for over 4 years, and will continue to deliver value to the community, thanks!
Jeremiah
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March 21st, 2009 | Puja Madan says:
Jeremiah, thanks for writing in. Your contribution to this space is immense and we look forward to more.
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