---
title: A-list Microsoft bloggers choose Wordpress
date: 2006-01-11T19:38:31Z
modified: 2006-01-11T19:38:31Z
permalink: "https://redmonk.com/jgovernor/a-list-microsoft-bloggers-choose-wordpress/"
type: post
status: publish
excerpt: ""
wpid: 449
categories:
  - Uncategorized
timestamp: 2006-01-11T19:38:31Z
tags:
  - Uncategorized
---

Ok so the headline is a little punchy/paunchy, given two people can’t really be a trend, but I wanted to call out that [Kim Cameron](http://www.identityblog.com/), recently named [Identity’s God](http://www.networkworld.com/power/2005/122605-cameron.html), has [moved to](http://www.networkworld.com/power/2005/122605-cameron.html) [WordPress](http://wordpress.org/).



This [follows](http://ericsetiawan.com/2005/10/14/time-for-scoble-to-switch-to-wordpress/) [Scoble](http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/)‘s decision (which to my mind is choosing a great tool for the job [rather than hypocrisy](http://photomatt.net/2005/11/01/wordpress-rss/)) to adopt the nifty open source blogging platform.



Its surprising Microsoft doesn’t have a runner in this race (enterprise blogging) yet (don’t get me started on [Spaces](http://spaces.msn.com/)) but then again, the [dirssruption](http://www.redmonk.com/jgovernor/archives/001178.html) has only just begun. Sun and IBM are now both now contributing to [Roller](http://rollerweblogger.org/page/roller), but using a range of platforms for publishing.



One of the issues here is that companies are not yet mandating blogging platforms – bloggers tend to choose their own. That laissez faire attitude is likely to change in 2006 as corporations attempt to bring the unmanaged spaces of blogs back into the managed spaces fold: we’ll be talking blogs and digital restrictions management before you know it. We’re going to see the usual industry consolidation and blog platform players will need to establish new partnerships and go to market models. 2006 is the year when the tech leviathans will shift from _using_ blogging to _selling_ it.

We should expect to see blogging and social software practices from the likes of Accenture and IGS, and clearer platform development and marketing from the ISV community.



So what happens when Microsoft offers its own feed server or blogging server product? Do Kim and Scoble rehost again? I guess the choice is theirs. What about customers and prospects that [expect dogfood eating](http://www.redmonk.com/jgovernor/archives/000316.html)? I don’t think [Sharepoint meets feeds](http://weblogs.asp.net/jan/archive/2004/04/16/114488.aspx) is a blogging platform any more than [Lotus Domino](http://www.redmonk.com/jgovernor/archives/000901.html) is. To Scoble’s point: [is Microsoft going to buy Newsgator or not](http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/2005/12/27/google-announces-feed-api/)? Its actually kind of weird they haven’t, what with the chance to control an API, and buy something already tightly integrated with Microsoft tooling. This acquisition would be about feed aggregating and reading rather than blog and feed serving. It wouldn’t provide a publishing platform, but publishing and subscribing are going to come together anyway in the longer term, through OPML and SSE, or ATOM. Oh yeah – [what is the MSDN blogging engine](http://www.tomrafteryit.net/microsoft-longhorn-talk/), anyway?



For now though, what great references for WordPress. Another lame prediction for 06: it will be a great year for WordPress, which may mean a bigger apartment for the guys at [Automattic](http://automattic.com/about/).



Finally let me say the blog spam issue drives me crazy. If Movable Type doesn’t get its act together soon monkchips and [tecosystems](http://www.redmonk.com/sogrady/) [may be](http://www.redmonk.com/sogrady/archives/000923.html) joining Kim and Scoble. We don’t care whether the tool is open source or not, we just want the best tool for the best cost.