The BBC’s former social media guru, Euan Semple points out that the Corporation’s head of news, Richard Sambrook now has a public blog. Somewhat disappointingly, this will run in parallel to his Beeb-only internal blog which is often quoted as a great case study of senior management blogging within big organisations. Somewhat intriguingly, it’s hosted (hey! guess what!) at Typepad, rather than on the Beeb’s own blogging platform.
I’ve never seen the ‘Secret Sambrook’, but I’m wondering what could be so sensitive in it, that it needs to remain locked behind the firewall. We don’t really need another blog pointing to Jeff Jarvis; we need an insight into the strategy leading (arguably) the world’s leading news organisation. And hey, due to the unique way the BBC is funded, surely we all have a right to understand the thinking driving the internal decisions? It’s our money you’re spending, Richard.
Responses
And to cause a little mischief.
Should Richard Sambrook, a public servant, be running advertising and Amazon affiliate links???
Thanks for the link Simon. Your post, and Craig’s comment, basically suggest it’s not possible for someone in my position to have a personal site and that every aspect of my life has to be defined by my public position. You may be right, but I hope not. If it suddenly disappears overnight you can claim victory ;-).
There are, I’m glad to say, public “BBC blogs” which are proving increasingly popular and fulfil exactly the function you ask for in terms of explaining and discussing internal decision-making in the BBC’s news areas – and more widely.
(Btw much of the content is the same between my internal and external blog – and what’s left out is not particularly sensitive (BBC employees aren’t noted for their reluctance to leak to the press) but is rather parochial to those working inside the BBC.)
Best,
R
I suppose it depends who’s paying for his Typepad account. If he’s writing it off on Beeb expenses, you’ve got a very good point. 🙂
Oh, I need all the links I can get….. 😉
I definitely didn’t mean to suggest that one can’t have both a ‘work’ and a ‘private’ blog, Richard… in fact, I do it myself. But if they are essentially covering exactly the same territory, and if there’s a lot of duplicated content between the two – it seems odd to force the distinction upon yourself.
In fact, a touch of BBC parochiality on occasions wouldn’t necessarily be bad. You’re absolutely right, internal business does already tend to seep out as it is. But it seeps out through third parties, like the gossip columns. I’d certainly be keen to hear it from the horse’s mouth. And anyway, if anything, it’s the parochiality that buys the reader’s engagement.
PS: Wow. Comments from both Richard Sambrook and Jeff Jarvis. A-list, here I come. 😉