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February 9, 2006
Industry Analysts -- The Paradox Continues
If you've been having trouble getting your arms around the influence and impartiality of industry analysts, particularly those in the technology sector, you'll want to check out this article in InformationWeek. It doesn't give any answers, but it does a pretty good job of articulating the questions we've all been asking about what's been affectionately called in our field "the world's second-oldest profession."
There's a maxim in our field that says the more control you have over the medium and the message, the less credibility the communication is likely to have. Think about the least influential trade publication in your industry. It's likely they're running your submissions verbatim. Conversely, the less control you have over the medium, the higher the credibility (think Wall Street Journal).
Regardless of what you think of the industry analyst gig, the Control/Credibility relationship holds true. Those who bow to outside influences will eventually lose their reputations, and those who maintain a "separation of church and state" will in the long run win out.
My two cents, anyway...
Posted by Matt Kucharski at February 9, 2006 1:13 PM