What risks do I have if I mention my employer on my blog?

2008 -

I posed this question on my LinkedIn... What risks do I have if I mention my employer on my blog? I blog within the industry I work. In my profile, I mention my employer and in some posts, I mention what it is that I do for my company. Is there a Taboo that shouldn't be mentioned? And if I submit a post on another blog and in my signature I mention my employer, do I need the employer to review first? 

The responses have been excellent. 

"Greg, If you are worried about the risks, you are most probably not a risk taker. Simply don't." - Pieter Dorsman ----- 

 "Greg, I struggled with this concept for some time and sought counsel from some of my friends. I came to similar conclusions as everyone else here. 

 

1) I have a disclaimer on my site. 

2) I do not name names of internal associates, share financial information or anything that would be considered "sacred". 

3) I notified my company's President regarding the site as both notice for consent as well as exposure to new media options. 

4) I am very proud of my company and have purposefully aligned myself with this company due to their cultural outlook being very similar to my own. 

These lead to very productive information, I feel, being present in my posts from:

1) real-world experience, and 

2) true passion and belief. Like Corey said, if you don't have anything positive to say - don't say it if you are skeptical. I like what Nick said also. -Ken Stewart ----- 

"I would say that if you have nothing good to say, don't say it. They can't come after you if you say something on your personal time and personal web property if you don't mention their name or even allude to them. 

They'll never say anything about your efforts if you are positive about them. I think that if your employer requires a review of all that you do then you are working for the wrong employer. Let me ask this... if you are in front of a customer talking, do you first consult with your boss about what you are saying to them?" -Corey Smith -----

The Death of The Copier Dealer

8/2008

I was reading and responding to a post by Ed Crowley about Managed Print Services when it hit me ...wasn't there a time when computer dealerships were like Starbucks; on every corner of every city, town, and village? 

I'm not nuts, right? I do remember correctly, don't I? Of course I do because I worked at an Inacomp and competed with ComputerLands while working at MicroAge. My first computerized accounting system was installed on an IBM PS/2 Model 60 running Novell severing two workstations. 

So, yes, there was a time when you could open a phone book and the computer section would contain a dozen pages of dealers, software houses, VARs, and computer service locations. 

Check out a phone book now - that is if you can find one - and see how many computer dealers are out there; then go to "C" for "copier dealers". 

 Back to the Post - In one of the responses to Ed’s post, this caught my eye - 

 "...the Vendor is about making money and moving their products and services. ... a customer needs to look for a vendor that is well versed in both industries(Copier and Printer) and that is going to focus on a STRATEGIC partnership, not just focused on moving a “box” whether it be some sort of imaging device (Printer, Scanner, Fax, Copier, etc), a service contract, or supplies..." 

 Agreed - and based on this, I would suggest a RADICAL shift in Paradigm.

Vendors should become "Partners". Remember, vendors, push carts full of hotdogs down the street. I also recognize that pulling the "hardware" element out of the existing copier dealer model is impossible. Not because a new model can't make money, but rather, because the new model is too difficult for "old school" merchants to comprehend. 

I wrote a bit about Matt Espe's quarterly conference call last week. One, small, seemingly innocuous comment stuck with me, Espe said, "...the very low-end office black and white continues to go to the retail channel and continues to go from copier technology to printer technology… you're seeing actually some improvement in functionalities clearly at much lower price points by the tier two guys. 

And you are seeing that kind of shift from copier distribution to retail. We don't play there..." From “copier distribution to retail”. 

 It's deja-vu all over again. We use to joke, while at MicroAge, that Wal*Mart would someday sell High-End PCs; we laughed at the possibility.

We were wrong.

Additionally, "from copier to printer technology..." isn't that the HP model? And guess what, for me, on a daily basis, I see copiers in places where "printer-based MFPs" should be - about 90% of the time the copier that was sold to the customer has capabilities well above everyday usage and function requirements. 

For example, in the last two weeks, I have surveyed fleets totaling 107 copiers. All but seven are 55 pages per minute units, most with a 3-hole punch. The average monthly volume on each machine is no greater the 11,300. This average is by machine over the life of the 60-month lease. The manufacturer’s published volume per month is up to 200,000 images. Oh, and the punch unit is never used. As a matter of fact, in a department that did need a 3-hole punch, the copier DID NOT have a punch and they ran the pre-drilled paper through the machine. 

In the past 6 months(2008), in every single one of my surveys, 99% of the machine specifications are well over the real-world usage – as a matter of fact, I have found, when looking at all the surveys as one, the average volume per machine is 10,234 images each month. Isn’t that the number HP came up with when they did a study of all the printers in the world? (It was around 10k/unit, you can look it up) 

Consider this: If the aforementioned machines have the ability to process 200,000 images in a single month, their price has been set to reflect that capacity.  – you’re...paying...for... too... much.... capacity. 

 It’s kind of like that scene in Indiana Jones when Indy and his friend realize the Germans “are digging in the wrong place” isn’t it? This is just one facet of the Copier Model- interesting, no?

- perhaps, we are witnessing the beginning of The Death of The Copier Dealer...?

Kyocera in The House...the MPS House?

Kyocera unveils managed service

From an article by Nick Booth, CRN. He is discussing Kyocer's new program with Kyocera’s distribution manager, Alicia Shepherd...

“The printer is the only IT product whose sales model has not changed in 10 years. There are endless options for print applications, so customers will only get the most out of their printing inventory by adopting it as a managed service.” she said.

Welcome aboard.

The number of "players" continue to increase, but...wait...I seem to remember Kyocera sells...hardware, right?

Well, it is the beginning of the month...isn't it?