Got to catch up with (now) fellow employee Robert Scoble yesterday -- of Scobleizer fame.

Everyone is fond of saying he's the guy that's making his most out of his 15 minutes of fame.

He's actually the first to kid himself about this, which starts giving you some insight into why he's just so bloody successful at disarming and humanizing.

And why is this important?

Because part of his unofficial job is to disarm and humanize Microsoft.  No small feat.

And -- listen up everyone at MSFT -- he's doing it.  I've been to a zillion tradeshows and the theme was always consistent:  Microsoft was the enemy.

Now, Microsoft is part of the club... and the theme is, "how can we all work together to make all of this even better?"

A little bit nirvana-ish, but there you have it.

All the, "Microsoft is a good community citizen" press releases in the world don't equal what Scobel has done:  Made Microsoft accessible.  Given Microsoft a public, 2-way voice.  An insider who calls a spade a spade.

Just what the doctor ordered.

He's a PR person's nightmare come true, but who would have thunk a little less control and a little more honesty would yield these kinds of results?

No one, and that's what makes this story even more remarkable.

Cheers to you, Robert, for helping humanize one of the most feared and, yes, disliked companies on the planet.

Can't wait to see what you'll tackle next!