Sony and the Blogosphere: Missed Connections

“Companies need to realize their markets are often laughing. At them.”

20th of 95 Theses from the Cluetrain Manifesto

Sony has come under much scrutiny in the past year and has illustrated that they do not understand how to communicate on the Web as we know it today. They have been also been the subject of many blog posts regarding their products, hacking them, reviewing them, attacking Sony practices, and much more. Sony has often taken a strong arm approach to dealing with information they do not want shared, and they have taken an even stronger approach to users modifying their hardware, or criticizing their business practices. To highlight these problems I will further discuss Sony vs. Homebrew on the PSP, Sony and its Rootkit, Sony vs. Kotaku, and Sony vs. blogs on the PS3.

Since the release of the Sony PlayStation Portable(PSP), Sony has been hard at work preparing and releasing new versions of the firmware that “runs” the PSP. Normally new firmware brings new features, extends battery life and in general adds to the overall experience a user of the hardware has. One example of a company releasing firmware updates for the general good of the customers is Microsoft, and the Xbox 360. Microsoft releases 2 firmware updates a year to the Xbox 360, one in the spring and another in the fall. Past updates brought anticipated features such as HD support, new content to the 360 which led to excitement amongst device users. Sony on the other hand has declared war on users of the PSP by pushing out firmware updates whose only purpose is to disable homebrew applications. Sony has made it mandatory for users to upgrade before playing popular games on the PSP. This battle has forced many committed individuals to release newer hacks and modifications to simply use a piece of hardware they purchased in a manner they see fit. Gamesfirst, provides great insight into this battle,

This back-and-forth between Sony and “the hackers” illustrates one of the most unfortunate situations we’ve seen in post-Networked consumer relations: The homebrew development community, especially the community for the PSP, has proven itself dedicated to the PSP and the advancement of the PSP by writing original programs for it….The PSP is an incredible device, and as it approaches its first birthday this spring it looks like its greatest asset may be its early adopters. PSP homebrew is the killer app; nothing that any game publisher has been able to release can touch the creativity or variety of user-created applications and games. Sony would do well to work with this user community to bolster their fanbase, and at a time when Sony is losing face at every turn the best move they could make would be to release a new firmware update that opens the system to homemade applications. It would be the best advertising they’d never have to buy.

These statements do a great job of summarizing Sony’s experience with networked communities of individuals. Many blogs have covered the PSP firmware debacle and still do to this day.

• Joystiq Covers Firmware 3.11 Release
• Sony Forum Post Proclaiming Sony’s Future Victory against Homebrew
• BBC covers Sony v. Hackers

Sony has recently tried to reach out to consumers via a fake blog or flog. Sony paid a company to post as young kids who wanted a PSP for Christmas, at the site http://www.alliwantforxmasisapsp.com (Since Removed by Sony). Once the site was outed as a marketing ploy, the blogosphere began ridiculing Sony for their attempts to communicate with the gain public. Numerous sites detailed the misadventures of the Sony blog including consumerist.com who even showcased the individuals behind the marketing stunt at Zipatoni, which led to more disgust of Sony. Personally I think the use of a paid marketing campaign veiled behind a blog speaks greatly to a company’s ability to communicate with and understand its target market. Microsoft uses several blogs to communicate with the gaming public, but the blogs are from prominent employees not a corporate marketing shill , which has led to trust and goodwill towards the company. Examples of these are Majornelson.com and Gamerscoreblog.com. Consumerist, eventually reuploaded the Sony PSP Flog.

Another example of the misunderstanding of the blogosphere by Sony was their recent request to Kotaku, a gaming site, to remove a posting, something sites rarely do. The post was in regards to rumored functionality coming to the Sony Playstation 3. Kotaku had been warned by Sony not to post the information but went ahead with the story as a rumor. This is a prime example of the Cluetrain Manifesto’s claim that “Markets do not want to talk to flacks and hucksters. They want to participate in the conversations going on behind the corporate firewall. De-cloaking, getting personal: We are those markets. We want to talk to you.” Cluetrain Manifesto Pg. 27

Shortly after posting they received an email from the Senior Director of Corporate Communication at Sony,

…I am very disappointed that after trying to work with you as closely as possible and provide you and your team with access and information, you chose to report on this rumor…. I can’t defend outlets that can’t work cooperatively with us.

So, it is for this reason, that we will be canceling all further interviews for Kotaku staff at GDC and will be dis-inviting you to our media event next Tuesday. Until we can find a way to work better together, information provided to your site will only be that found in the public forum…

Kotaku followed up with a response which hits the nail on the head.

…I think this only highlights the differences that PR people and journalists have. My interest is not in making sure that Sony has positive news or that the timing of their news is correct, my job only is to inform the readers of news as quickly and accurately as I can. Hopefully, one day this dispute will settle down and you will reopen communication with us…

Sony eventually re-invited Kotaku to all of the events they had withdrawn invitations to and decided to agree to disagree. I couldn’t have said it any better than Brian at Kotaku, Sony doesn’t get how to deal with communication which doesn’t begin in their corporate office of communications.

Sony has also caught a lot of press in the blogosphere due to its decision to include a rootkit on several CDs it released last year. This rootkit exposed users of infected computers to harmful exploits and restricted their use of their own computer. BoingBoing a popular blog chronicled the Sony Rootkit Debacle and has released a timeline which covers the story from beginning to present. In this instance Sony’s ineptitude is summed up nicely by one quote, Sony BMG Global Digital Business President Thomas Hesse puts his foot in it saying, ‘Most people, I think, don’t even know what a rootkit is, so why should they care about it?’. Via Betanews.

One final example of Sony needing to deal with user disseminated media is the “How to kill a Brand” Parody of the Fray’s “How to Save a Life”. The parody uses a backdrop of standard images but highlights each mis-step the company took in launching the Playstation 3.

In Summary Sony, has poorly handled any publicly disseminated media that has come to light over the past year, and continues to show a disregard for consumers as people, a key mistake in this networked age. Sony would be well served to read the Cluetrain Manifesto and pay attention to the first of its 95 theses, “Markets are conversations”, as well as the following 95, all of which would better situate Sony for the current marketplace if taken to heart. It is difficult to clearly place these examples of Sony needing to deal with publicly disseminated material with specific page references and quotes from the Cluetrain Manifesto, rather, the whole idea of a networked community of humans who are talking and attempting to engage companies in discourse is something which is absent from Sony’s corporate toolkit.

Reference:

Locke, Christopher, Levine, Rick, Searls, Doc and Weinberger, David The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual Perseus Publishing, Cambridge 2001