--- title: "Wake up IBM: come out from behind developerworks!!!" date: 2006-01-19T19:08:34Z modified: 2006-01-19T19:08:34Z permalink: "https://redmonk.com/jgovernor/wake-up-ibm-come-out-from-behind-developerworks/" type: post status: publish excerpt: "" wpid: 468 categories: - Uncategorized timestamp: 2006-01-19T19:08:34Z tags: - Uncategorized --- Why is Lotus’ VP of marketing blogging on developerworks? I realise that many of the early IBM bloggers were in fact developers, but now its a bit daft to have every new blogger seemingly appearing on developerworks. Come on [Surjit](http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/dw_blog.jspa?blog=808), find a different forum – host your own blog or something. Join the likes of [Ed](http://www.edbrill.com/ebrill/edbrill.nsf/dx/lotus-marketing-vp-surjit-chana-now-blogging?opendocument&comments#anc1). And where on earth are the information management blogs? Who reads developerworks? Who is it targeted at? There is a self-selecting audience there. I think Software Group blog strategists could learn from the likes of [GameTomorrow](http://www.gametomorrow.com/blog/) and [HealthNex](http://healthnex.typepad.com/web_log/). Blogging is not for tech weenies. Lotus is not just for tech weenies. Or is it? Of course you could argue developerworks is aimed at a general audience. I am not sure I’d buy the pusback though. You might also argue its Surjit’s job to talk to channel partners (which developerworks also addresses). I would say though that grassroots is good but limiting the audience unnecessarily is bad. Perhaps its time for IBM to introduce a productionworks and a businessworks…. Its also surely time for Big Blog to initiate some programs to make it easier to navigate its feeds, rather than leaving it up to the likes of [Richard Schwartz](http://www.rhs.com/web/ibm/hhbg2ib.nsf/web/index.html) and [Elias Torres](http://torrez.us/archives/2005/08/29/387). Come on IBM bring out your feed directories and tools. In the process you might get a clue about the OPML list for filtering approach which is coming down the pike…. (see [Alex Barnett](http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=alex+barnett+opml&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8)). Come on in IBM. The water is lovely. Blogging is for everybody. 2006 can be a break out year for Lotus, what with the Hannover release and the Vista disruption. But that means marketing to the mainstream.