Scobleizer - Latest Comments in Can a corporate blogger use the "F-word?"

Re: Can a corporate blogger use the "F-word?"

James Craib — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 23:05:28 -0000

I'm presently writing a dissertation about the ubiquity of profanity in popular culture. Of course, corporate language gets a mention as well. How do other bloggers feel about the heinous, corporate speech that passes for English in the boardrooms of the world? Isn't that as unacceptable as swearing?

Re: Can a corporate blogger use the "F-word?"

Robert Scoble — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 03:29:51 -0000

Deeby: if you can be identified as a corporate employee, as Tim can be, you are doing a corporate blog. Sorry.

It's just the same as if people know who I am and who I work for and I get drunk at a party. I'm still representing the corporation there and can get fired or suffer career consequences because of my actions. (I've seen people fired for stuff like that).

Re: Can a corporate blogger use the "F-word?"

Deeby — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 01:13:49 -0000

Scoble, your use of the word 'corporate' was, I think, a bit misleading.

Since Tim's blog is hosted on his own server, and predates his employment at Sun, it certainly doesn't seem to fall into the same category as some others, say those hosted at blogs.sun.com....and he's careful to point out that his site contains a mix items from his personal and professional life.

Re: Can a corporate blogger use the "F-word?"

ioannusdeverani — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 00:40:47 -0000

I believe that using the f-word in a blog or during a presentation is unprofessional, especially if one is representing a company. That being said, I agree that profanity attracts hype, and may be plus, sometimes.

Re: Can a corporate blogger use the "F-word?"

LayZ — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 23:14:06 -0000

@37. Hey, that's great. All this says is while they may be his opinions, the use of that type of language simply says they are not well formed.

Re: Can a corporate blogger use the "F-word?"

Brandon — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 23:08:26 -0000

Alls i know is the f word is special

http://www.funlol.com/funpa...

Re: Can a corporate blogger use the "F-word?"

Andrew Sidwell — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 19:12:47 -0000

@17: "you shouldn’t use it while representing a corporate entity."

Tim, on every page of his blog, says: "The opinions expressed here are my own, and neither Sun nor any other party necessarily agrees with them." He's not representing a corporate entity, and through what you said may be true, it doesn't apply here.

Re: Can a corporate blogger use the "F-word?"

Wim Plaat — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 13:57:37 -0000

It's simply inappropriate and shows a lack of polish, especially in a corporate setting. I doubt that you'll offend anyone by NOT saying it, but you'll simply never hear from the people who you do offend.

As a communicator, we want people to hear our message, but bad language can close the communication channel so fast we don't even realize they've tuned out.

Re: Can a corporate blogger use the "F-word?"

Silver Smith — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 13:45:04 -0000

Those of us who are corporate employees blogging in our personal time do have to be careful about some things that we say, but not this. We have to be careful about mentioning proprietary stuff, or saying things which are directly harmful to the company.

I agree with the others above - authenticity has really created the new communications medium through blogging, and perfectly polished prose is more distrusted as just another PR ploy to manipulate. Corporations should thank their employees who using blogging to put a real, human face on the company.

His blog clearly indicates he doesn't speak officially on behalf of his company -- so, this lite bon mot can't be held against him. If you don't like that kind of language, just don't read his blog. If it's offensive to you, then you're probably not in his target audience anyway.

Re: Can a corporate blogger use the "F-word?"

LayZ — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 12:11:26 -0000

People that use those types of adjectives to describe something show their lack of education of the english language. You mean to tell me Tim was incapable of using any other word? Perhaps one even more descriptive. It also shows a lack of respect for his audience. ("See how cool I am! I can swear and get away with it!!!")

Re: Can a corporate blogger use the "F-word?"

neomadness — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 11:26:30 -0000

Why alienate a portion of your readers? I agree with Jeremy Toeman and Nathan M. You may feel genuine and open but if you're writing for more than close friends and family, you should take into account the fact that a blog is a conversation.

In the professional world, it's best to leave vulgarities out if you don't want to exclude those who find it distasteful.

We could also debate the Puritan background, I'm sure, but I'm proud to call them my ancestors: industry, love of freedom, self-discipline and selflessness. I wish America could still crown its soul with self-control.

Re: Can a corporate blogger use the "F-word?"

hugh macleod — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 09:51:43 -0000

I frequently use potty-mouth words in my cartoons, but rarely in the text bits of my blog.

Re: Can a corporate blogger use the "F-word?"

Chris — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 09:30:50 -0000

Tim's F-Bomb made me look twice at the product. It's been blogged by about a zillion people already, but when he said it was fucking cool, I went, "Really?" And I went to the Sun pages and checked it out.

Re: Can a corporate blogger use the "F-word?"

John Dowdell — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 09:06:27 -0000

"If you want someone to be authentic, how could you possibly get upset with them for blogging the way they (presumably) speak — whether that is stuffy and formal or profanity-laced and energetic?"

Speaking, ideally, is a two-way street... it's not just all about the speaker, spouting off whatever little thing happens to be in his head at the moment.

Watch the listener, tune your speech.

Re: Can a corporate blogger use the "F-word?"

francine — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 08:51:10 -0000

Wow, you got a lot of comments on this. I am a mother. Also a foster mother. When my kids and fosters were little, I explained to them that there was no such thing as a "dirty" word. In fact, the word fuck comes from an old English word for planting (there's that Ph.D. bubbling up in me), and you would be surprised how many currently "dirty" words come from acceptable old ones. (Details on demand).

But I did tell them there were things people didn't want to hear, and part of the fun of life was to figure out who didn't want to hear those words and correctly avoid them. Period.

Re: Can a corporate blogger use the "F-word?"

devjunky — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 07:23:47 -0000

If swearing is a part of who you are in real life, then I for one would not want that person to write in any other way. Authentic/genuine posts by real people are why I read blogs and not the stuffy traditional "white collar" media.

Re: Can a corporate blogger use the "F-word?"

Lord Brar — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 07:18:06 -0000

If Fortune and The Economist can print these words in their publication (two of the most reputed ones) then I think that discussing about it is a moot point!

Re: Can a corporate blogger use the "F-word?"

Rob Burke — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 05:57:57 -0000

I think it's an issue of "raising the stakes." Once you're cussing (instead of being eloquent) to describe something that blows you away, you can't raise the stakes that high again.

Well, without entering into South Park or The Aristocrats territory.

And I also agree that there's a 'tone' issue. If nobody in the corporation cusses in public, and it's a corporate blog, there I think there are fair questions about appropriateness to be asked.

Re: Can a corporate blogger use the "F-word?"

Christopher Coulter — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 05:44:16 -0000

Well 'frak' is still ok... :)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=...

Re: Can a corporate blogger use the "F-word?"

John Dodds — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 05:35:07 -0000

I'm not fussed by the language people use but as an attention-getting device it has a very short shelf-life.

Re: Can a corporate blogger use the "F-word?"

Simon Brocklehurst — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 05:03:06 -0000

If people don't like it, they should simply unsubscribe; and do so without whining about it.

*Newsflash for people that complain about unimportant stuff like this* No. One. Cares. What. You. Think.

Re: Can a corporate blogger use the "F-word?"

Conor O'Neill — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 04:16:54 -0000

Paul's right about us Paddies. I read Tim's post and hadn't noticed the "fuck" until you mentioned it.

As we might say over here "you've little to be worrying about"

Re: Can a corporate blogger use the "F-word?"

Chris — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 03:48:20 -0000

It gives a more personal feel to the statement. It hasn't gone through a corporate filter. The blogger is stating their exact thoughts on the product. It's one use of the word fuck.

"Sticks and stones may break my bones but WORDS will never hurt me."

Re: Can a corporate blogger use the "F-word?"

Trumpi — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 02:53:43 -0000

Words like "fuck" tend to make me want to click on words like "unsubscribe".

Re: Can a corporate blogger use the "F-word?"

Anonymous — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 00:25:13 -0000

Interestingly, technorati's seeing 35,000 posts with the word "fuck" (or varients) from blogs with a lot of authority.

http://technorati.com/searc...