Who is IBM Fooling?
No, I’m not talking about their trite Watson publicity stunt this time, I’m talking about a social media fail. I think IBM’s lack of understanding around social media today is one of several reasons why we joke that the company has turned into a retirement home for octogenarian IT hacks, best suited to offshoring their clients IT help desk. If you’ve ever received IBM tech support, you’ll no doubt question their capability even in this area.
What am I talking about today? The invitation which I and 200 other “select” Big Data Influencers just received:
Hi Tom,
You are one of approximately 200 individuals that IBM has identified as a critical market thought leader on the topic of Big Data & Analytics. As such, IBM would like to extend an invitation to our exclusive IBM Big Data & Analytics Digital VIP group.
As one of the carefully selected group members, you’ll have exclusive access to information, announcements, virtual briefings and IBM subject matter experts prior to the general public. Invitations will also be extended to certain group members to attend in-person events as an IBM VIP, entitling you to enhanced access onsite.
IBM has carefully screened the big data and analytics landscape and selected the most eminent thought leaders. As part of this group, you’ll have the opportunity to connect and network with top market thinkers and discuss this burgeoning topic.
Due to the sensitive nature of the material and access being extended to group members, we must ask that you please download, digitally sign and upload a signed copy of IBM’s Non-Disclosure Agreement. This can be found on the IBM Big Data & Analytics Hub Digital VIPs page at http://www.ibmbigdatahub.com/vipibmbdah
Once we’ve received your signed NDA, we’ll extend an invitation to you for the group.
We look forward to the great conversations and exchanges to come!
The Link brings you to this page below on IBM’s site where they actually expect you to download their NDA in PDF form without capability of markup.
Don’t get me wrong, I sign Mutual-NDA’s every day with clients and potential clients and partners. But only after we have established a common interest and purpose.
But why would anyone worth their salt working in an innovative field like Big Data Analytics want to enter into an NDA crafted to protect IBM’s interest, with no clear benefits to yourself? Moreover, the idea defeats the whole purpose of Social Media!
It certainly helps one understand why no bright young developer in their right mind would choose to go to work for “Big Blue”.
IBM, it’s not a good way to do business, it’s not polite, and it certainly isn’t the way to do social media. Best of luck with building your group of mediocrity!
@TomHCAnderson
11 responses so far ↓
1 Steve Rappaport // Mar 27, 2014 at 8:42 pm
Hi Tom, What’s interesting about this post is that IBM appears to have done everything right according to “best practices,” yet in doing so revealed themselves as superbly tone deaf and alienating. They should be interested in you, your ideas, and the community’s ideas, not just in the potential you represent to them to be converted into a brand advocate.
2 Mike Holdsworth // Mar 28, 2014 at 3:06 pm
IBM treating social media influencers as some kind of manager in virtual enterprise? Way to pigeonhole things. Maybe they’ll invite you out for a round of golf soon.
3 Richard Liu // Mar 28, 2014 at 3:37 pm
I must be missing something here. IBM’s invitation does not mention social media at all. On the other hand, “big data and analytics” (in this or equivalent forms) occurs four times. Perhaps IBM is interested in big data in general, e.g., the kind that is typical of biomedical research. Maybe IBM is developing general techniques for finding patterns in big data based on machine learning, topological data analysis, etc.
4 Tom H. C. Anderson // Mar 28, 2014 at 3:37 pm
Thank you for your comment Steve
I think it’s important to consider all the implications here. This doesn’t make sense from any point of view other than IBM’s. In social media you give first, receive later…
Here are just a few of the problems I have with this:
1st. Many of the “200 select” (including myself) are in analytics/software business themselves and therefore at some level competing against IBM. Signing a needless NDA for vague purpose exposes you to unnecessary legal liability.
2nd. The approach is actually insulting. I’ve already spoken to several others who also refused to sign it, why? Because as some I spoke to pointed out, “why would I sign an NDA to get a bunch of sales spam!?”
3rd. Let’s assume the “Influencer” in question is not in competition with IBM in anyway, and thus has no liability considerations from that perspective. Let’s assume instead that they are a trusted “media” person, similar to a reporter of sorts. If they sign the NDA then they limit what they can say about IBM. Should they say anything slightly critical, that NDA could come back to haunt them. They are simply putting themselves under the control of IBM, allowing themselves to share only information approved by IBM, and thus their credibility as an “influencer” is now called into question.
I’m sure some may sign the NDA. I just hope they consider the above…
5 Richard Liu // Mar 28, 2014 at 3:59 pm
Just followed the link (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2426521,00.asp). Mr. Dvorak seems narrowly to have missed the statistical machine learning train just as it was pulling out of the station … many decades ago, but for some reason to have decided not to attempt to catch it, but to deny it ever existed instead. I would advise any journalist who is skeptical about IBM’s efforts to transform the Watson of Jeopardy! fame into a medical advisor to avoid shooting himself in the foot by citing Mr. Dvorak. A more enlightening source of background information on Watson might be David Ferrucci, who was the principal investigator who led the team that developed Watson.
6 Tom H C Anderson // Mar 28, 2014 at 6:31 pm
@Richard, yes the above involved an invitation to one of their new “LinkedIn” groups specifically for Big Data Social Media Influencers
7 Tom H C Anderson // Mar 28, 2014 at 6:32 pm
@Richard, can we trust your opinion, or maybe you’ve already signed their NDA??
8 Kevin Winterfield // Mar 28, 2014 at 6:36 pm
Hi Tom,
Thank you for sharing your perspective on the program. The NDA requirement was intended to allow IBM, and others in the big data and analytics space, to share some “not-quite-ready for public consumption” information in the interest of creating an open dialogue with each other. While removing the NDA requirement may limit what we might share, we’re now discussing that possibility. Thanks again for sharing your opinion on the program, our goal is to ensure that the community is useful and beneficial for all who join. Have a great weekend, Tom.
– Kevin Winterfield, IBM
9 Tom H C Anderson // Mar 28, 2014 at 6:46 pm
Glad to hear you’re rethinking it Kevin.
It’s called “Social Media” instead of “Legal Media” for a reason - so it’s probably best to leave the lawyers out of it.
No reporter would ever sign an NDA.
Asking influencers to sign yours (even if they have no economic stake in it) is asking them to do a disservice to their followers who have come to trust what they say. Social media, or any news type media for that matter should be founded upon transparency, and the former also on mutual (not one sided) respect.
I’ll be curious to hear what you end up deciding…
10 Terry // Mar 29, 2014 at 10:33 am
Tom, your reaction to the IBM invitation was appropriate, if not a bit scolding in tone. It was akin to my responses to the pop-up survey that interrupted me as I was reading your post.
Kevin IBM’s response does show that your perspective was appreciated by IBM. But old is old and big is big. Rather like punching a 10′ cube of jello in trying to change its shape.
TK
11 KG // Apr 3, 2014 at 6:09 pm
So ignore them. But lots of IBM business partners are selling IBM into the big data space, and they just sign it, because that’s how the relationship with IBM is. (And the BPs go and make money and don’t worry so much.)
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