In the 1980s and 90s when technology innovation was virtually at the center of everyone's universe, 'stealth mode' became a popular method for acquiring a buzz of media speculation about a new company's product plans. This was especially true on the West Coast. It made some sense then and there for a couple of key reasons: competing companies were stealing eachother's people left and right; and two, stealth mode gave the start-up team an accepted cover for saying nothing, responding to nothing. But the whole idea went out of fashion about as fast as the bee-hive hairdo because ridiculous ideas have a habit of doing that.  But every once in a while, you can still spot the old coif and still find a start-up over-teasing their un-story via stealth mode and the code of silence. Why is this stupid? I could write a book in answer to that, but this is a blog post so here's the short answer:

1. Genuinely innovative ideas take time to gain traction; 2. Preconditiong prospects in advance of product availability gives people time to understand and appreciate the new solution; 2a. This means when the start-up finally has something to sell, its sales ramp won't be measured in light years; 3. Purchase decisions in favor of competitive products will be made that wouldn't otherwise be made during this period of silence if the new entrant moves its lips a little; 3a. Other would-be competitors that might enter the exact same space will stay out of the space if they think it is already cocupied by a strong contender; 4. If the new idea upon which a company is being built is flawed, a little preconditioning will expose those problems early so there's time to correct the plan; 5. No one in the media thinks stealth mode signals great things under wraps, unless the CEO is Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Tom Watson back from the dead or some other icon with that level of genuine celebrity status; 6. If and when the start up gains success, it's going to need people at all levels and people don't go very easily to companies they've never heard about.

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Okay, not to beat a dead horse here, but as I was driving home yesterday the Rocketboom “saga” jumped into my head for some unknown reason. Maybe it was Elton John’s Rocketman I heard on the radio that stirred up the thoughts – I don’t know – but I got to thinking… 

With the firing/quitting of Amanda Congdon from Rocketboom there is something to be said about people, their blogs, and their jobs: everyone is replaceable. 

Take a second and think about it. At the end of the day, it comes down to the client/company. Do I know what the problems were with Congdon and Baron? Nope - and none of us are privy to those discussions. However, my math has always told me that 51 trumps 49 in percentage. For Ms. Congdon, she was probably more focused on developing her personal brand, which is fine. It was all about Amanda, not Rocketboom. This, however, is when being so thoroughly expendable can hurt the most. Like many, Amanda probably thought she was irreplaceable…until she was replaced. 

The business world doesn’t play favorites. One day you could be the ruler of your vertical market, make one mis-step and you could find yourself with a pink slip. You might successfully wear several hats within an organization, but if you piss off the wrong people, you are shown the door. And, while many bloggers are making a name for themselves and blogging in the “pure” sense of the word, at the end of the day, many of them answer to another master as well…the paycheck.

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Remember when your mom told you to be nice to that weird kid that you had to ride the school bus with because he lived on your street? In the old days, when you picked on a nerd, they would get wedgies, get chased home and maybe wet the bed out of anxiety.

Nowadays when you piss off a nerd, it’s a totally different story. They get all fired up and assemble their friends to build wikis, web sites and podcasts to destroy their enemies and make the bullies look like fools.

I happen to think social media is changing corporate culture in exactly the same way. Today, companies who blog are considered early adopters, thought leaders and members of the "in" crowd. Blogging is cool and companies who blog are cool. You are one more voice to be heard and how powerful that voice is depends on how much interacting you do. If someone attacks your company, the ability to instantly retaliate is there. You can defend your position by having many conversations with many people at once - something nearly impossible in the brick and mortar world of traditional PR.

So, the obscure lesson here: Don’t piss off the blogosphere. They are nerds with skills, and they will come after you.

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