Washing dirty linen...

As something less than a mere mortal (sorry if that sounds pompous!) I would not want to say much on the pros and cons of the acquisition of Groove by Microsoft. It is obvious that others have more to say in public and will do so. Recent attempts to alter (politically correct way of saying stop) the progress of the acquisition seem to be failing. Doing this "in public" is often considered a good thing - democracy in action.

One area in which Groove the technology excels is in privacy - far away from the public eye. This is also a good thing in some circumstances. If Groove was being used as a brokering solution to help to warring factions to "discuss" without guns or bombs, then doing that talk in front of the full gaze of the media all the time is unlikely to ever lead to a peaceful result. The inclusion of the media in the "discussion process" can often hinder if not increase communication problems.

This is not because the media is necessarily a bad thing - it is more to do perhaps with simply adding in a third person, and in particular a third person whose sole goal is not to mediate. Two people talking can sometimes resolve an issue. If they cannot resolve then a go-between may be needed to help beging make some joins. The media never plays the role of a broker. The media's role is to communicate the current status to a distant third party - the public. In playing a part in senisitive discussions they can often add to stress levels and actually reduce likelyhood and speed of resolution.

In these columns I have done some washing. I have sometimes been honest about my own failings, at other times I have been more open some of Groove's, and nearly always the target has been Groove the technology. The purpose being to raise the profile of what I am seeing as a serious issue. I take, as a self-proclaimed expert the guise of a champion of those suffering with some aspect of the Groove technology. One classic example was space suspensions, which now are dramatically reduced.

So washing dirty linen in public can be good and it can also be bad. Perceptions of what is good and bad change over time. The death of the Pope (and I am not religious) marks a possible change in attitude to things that the Catholic church held dear. A new Pope will have different priorities, and the illnesses and deaths caused by Aids in Africa and elsewhere makes pontificating on birth control, or not a difficult thing. So perhaps the new Pope may have a changing stance. I live in hope.

Closer to home my parents, like many others of their generation hardly ever talk about illness. It is simply not the done thing! Well it is something I do with my children. Some may say I am a wishy-washy liberal, which I am not. What I am is a person with new attitudes. My attitudes to what is said in public are very far removed (I would say improved) from my parents. And I guess and hope that my childrens' attitude will move on from my own.

The most glaring and personal example of "dirty linen" is when someone is taken before a court of law, and perhaps sent to prison or fined. For business that might be bankruptcy or is it chapter 11. A softer metaphor for this is in some cases acquistion!

We all hoped that Groove would make it, for the good of the employees, shareholders et al. That success did not happen, and the reasons were not all of Groove's own making. But right now a new era is dawning. I wonder what it will bring? Hopefully some clean linen at last since my bed is getting smelly and needs some new sheets :-).